Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 16 | Page 44

CIO OPINION CIO opinion CIO OPINION “ IF ORGANISATIONS DELAY DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, OR DO NOT TRANSFORM AT ALL, THEY RISK BEING OUSTED BY COMPETITORS. ////////////////// Mandla Mbonambi, founding CEO of Africonology The impact of digital transformation on economic growth in Africa As African organisations undergo digital transformation, understanding this massive shift and how to harness it will be vital for organisations across the continent, according to Mandla Mbonambi, founding CEO of Africonology. A ccess to information, new ways of doing things and consumer consumption patterns will continue to force African organisation to digitise their products and service to provide more flexibility to their customers. economies, companies will have to follow a step-by-step approach that includes organisational change management and a shift in both mindset and culture. Creating the right skills set will also be crucial to success.” “African organisations can help shape their local economies through digital transformation by adopting megatrend technologies such as cloud computing, mobility, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and social platforms,” said Mbonambi. Mbonambi believes that digital transformation has the potential of enabling economic growth, job creating and improving the social welfare of the society in which the organisations operates. “That said, they must ensure that these technologies fit into their organisations structures, processes, activities and, more importantly, support their business models. “For digital transformation to yield the desired result of shaping local 44 INTELLIGENTCIO “As much as digital transformation brings about uncertainty, it can drive positive development and growth on the continent,” he said. “The early adopters of digital transformation are without fail poised to be the next leaders and many of these fall within the youth of Africa. www.intelligentcio.com