NEWS
Fak’ugesi
African Digital
Innovation
Festival to
return to RSA
Experts discuss how
technology can transform
food systems in West Africa
F
rom August 30 to September 8, the
Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation
Festival will return to Johannesburg to
explore and celebrate technology and
creativity by Africans.
The 2019 festival has cast its central theme
as Own Your Force which invites digital
makers in Africa to stake their claim on their
talent, industry and creative economy.
Wits University’s Tshimologong Innovation
Precinct, in collaboration with partners in
the Braamfontein area, will be at the heart
of festivities with a programme promising
to yet again transform Johannesburg into
a celebration of technology, creativity and
innovation from across the African continent.
Dr Tegan Bristow, Fak’ugesi African Digital
Innovation Festival Director, says attendees
can expect a fresh and energised line-up that
explores screen-based digital creativity in
gaming, virtual reality, mixed reality cinema
and animation – with special focus on cross-
sector collaboration in the region for Southern
and East Africa, addressing Blockchain,
Artificial Intelligence, protection of intellectual
and creative property.
“Fak’ugesi acts as a platform that brings
together diverse digital and technology
sectors to collaborate and share skills in
digital media and technology innovation,”
said Bristow.
A highlight is a conference developed in
collaboration with the Goethe-Institut’s
Creative Entrepreneurship office, which will
bring attention to the challenges of creative
and digital entrepreneurship within the
Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa.
8
INTELLIGENTCIO
T he African Development Bank has
hosted a group of experts to discuss
how technology can be deployed to
transform food systems in West Africa. “Africa is lagging behind in terms of
food value chains,” said Jennifer Blanke,
Vice President for Agriculture, Human
and Social Development.
The Bank co-hosted the workshop with
the International Fund for Agricultural
Development, the African Green
Revolution Alliance, the World Economic
Forum and Rabobank for the Food
Systems Action Platform (FSAP) for West
Africa at the Bank’s headquarters in
Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. “Never in the history of the world has there
been more technologies, more know-how
and other tools at our fingertips.”
More than 70 representatives from multi-
lateral organisations attended the two-
day session, along with delegates from
food companies, African governments,
including Togo and Ghana, research
institutes, commodity exchanges,
processor and producer organisations,
and financial institutions.
The event brought the FSAP partner
organisations to create a collective base of
value chain initiatives, and identify existing
turnkey projects and innovative solutions
to achieve the platform’s objectives.
“The stakeholders came together to see
what they can do as a team and what
are the actions that we need to prioritise
in terms of bringing the food systems
approach forward,” said Atsuko Toda,”
Bank Director for Agricultural Finance and
Rural Development.
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