FINAL WORD
“
THE CONTINENT’S GROWING
POPULATION AND LACK OF LEGACY
TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE
CAN BE TURNED TO AN ADVANTAGE
IF COUNTRIES ADOPT NEW
TECHNOLOGIES STRAIGHT AWAY. accelerate – promoting growth, inclusion
and improving citizen experiences.
Similarly, countries across east, west and
central Africa such as Nigeria, Kenya and Ivory
Coast have plans to accelerate the adoption
of advanced technologies to transform and
facilitate economic and social inclusion. So, we must enable youth to drive the
digital future, use technology to accelerate
equality in the workplace and empower
gender diversity and champion access and
opportunity for all. By cultivating inclusion,
we unlock innovation and the ability to thrive
and progress.
While the importance of digitisation and
development of digital economies cannot be
overstated, it is also important to recognise
that this transformation cannot happen
unless the barriers to growth are reduced
or even fully removed. From challenges in
regulatory policies to lack of infrastructure
and basic access to electricity, phones
and the Internet – there are still cities and
countries in Africa that are more complex
that we usually imagine.
For instance, access to reliable and high-
quality bandwidth is a critical factor in
bringing the benefits of technology to
businesses and therefore investment in
telecommunications infrastructure is key to
becoming a digitally enabled economy.
opportunities are not only limited to the
ICT industry, but also disrupts traditional
industries to unlock speed, lower costs, and
ensure higher quality.
As an example, the banking and finance
sector across Africa continues to evolve
and transform with several digital banking
initiatives being introduced that is increasing
financial inclusion. This in turn leads to an
increase in a country’s productivity and
competitiveness – lowering unemployment
rates, increasing access to technology
enabled services for citizens and creating
higher-wage and higher-impact jobs.
Therefore, what organisations and
governments need to understand is that
Digital Transformation is not a destination,
but a never-ending journey. With the right
infrastructure, policies and connectivity in
place, businesses can expand, jobs can be
created, and economic diversification will
The continent’s growing population and
lack of legacy technology infrastructure
can be turned to an advantage if countries
adopt new technologies straight away and
use them to leapfrog into the 21st century.
According to the International Monetary
Fund, the digital economy already accounts
for more than 5% of gross domestic product
(GDP) in some African nations.
There is also another aspect of Digital
Transformation that is of critical importance
and that is around using technology to
transform societies. Every economy and
country globally and in Africa, are looking for
the skills and talent around technology to
succeed in the digital world.
In summary
The digital sector in the Emerging Africa
region is poised for success like no other,
with the tremendous push for Digital
Transformation coming from governments,
with the end goal of improving citizen
experiences and fueling economic growth.
These Digital Transformation agendas
represent the nation’s efforts towards
unlocking the region’s potential to radically
improve healthcare, banking, education and
public services, among others.
But in order to win in the digital economy,
the public and private sector must work
together to ensure that the infrastructure,
key policy principles and regulatory
frameworks are put in place, in order to build
an ecosystem of innovation.
There is no doubt that technology is
changing the ways in which we work, live,
and play, and this will only get more evident
in the future.
This could be more than doubled to
12–20% if countries harness the economic
potential of digital technology. We should be excited by the power and
potential of technology to change lives
for the better and help us move beyond
inefficiencies towards inclusive prosperity.
Digitisation also spurs the development of
new industries as in the case of e-commerce,
mobile financial services, IoT, and cloud
computing. These contribute to national
GDP in multiple ways while also promoting
growth of allied industries such as logistics,
infrastructure, and payments. These A new chapter in technology-led human
progress is within our grasp, waiting to be
unlocked. It is simply a matter of choice –
do we want to wait and fall behind, or do we
want to be the digital disruptors within the
context of future emerging economies in
the world. n
76
INTELLIGENTCIO
Habib Mahakian, Vice-President, Emerging
Africa at Dell Technologies
www.intelligentcio.com