Kathy Gibson reports from Africa Tech Festival – Business leaders are calling for more co-operation across the continent to fast-track connectivity and make the digital economy a reality.
Speaking on a panel discussion at Africa Tech Festival, President Ntuli, MD: South Africa of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, says working together is the best way to address the pressing challenges facing Africa.
“As a continent, we are not short of ideas,” he says. “But, while we have the opportunity to leapfrog into a digital world, we still spend a lot of time planning and talking about developing infrastructure.
“We have the opportunity to make massive changes without having to go through the growing pains that Europe and the US did. We could leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and cellular technology to fast-track the continent’s growth.”
But the bottlenecks we experience boil down to leadership, he adds. “We have so many policies, but we need to action them faster.
“”We need to talk about how corporates can work together to fast-track innovation and be true partners in driving innovation.
“The technology is there – and the willingness is there from business – now we need to talk to governments to make it happen.”
He adds that African companies and startups have demonstrated their expertise. “There is a lot of innovation happening right here in Cape Town and across the continent,” Ntuli says.
HPE recently bought a Cape Town-based company, Cape Networks.
“The head office is still right here in Cape Town,” Ntuli eplains. “All the development skills, design, and manufacturing happen here in Cape Town although it is now part of a worldwide organization.
“This is a good South African story and is the kind of partnership we need.”
Ntuli has put HPE’s hand up as being willing to partner and work on driving innovation and creating opportunities in Africa and South Africa.
Hardy Pemhiwa, president and group CEO of Cassava Technologies, agrees that business leaders have a responsibility to empower people across the continent – and they should do so as a matter of urgency.
“We can play a part in democratising tech opportunities,” he says. “And tech can democratise access to economic opportunities for Africa’s youth.
“But we need to lower the bar for access and devices so we can bring the usage up.”
Pemhiwa adds that the word “innovation” is overused. “We often forget to identify the problem and identify who it impacts. Innovation is about finding a simple solution at the lowest cost that can do something faster, cheaper, and better.”
At the same time, we fixate on issues like building out newer and faster networks, he says.
“Youth unemployment is not about building fibre; it’s about what does that do to bring access to digital techs on the continent – to democratise access to employment opportunities.
“Every kilometer of fibre must democratise employees – from the unschooled labourer to the training engineer.
“And that is where innovation and vision comes from.”
Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO: South Africa at Naspers, adds her voice to the call for empowerment in Africa.
“We need to use technology to reach business goals in a sustainable manner,” she says. “We need to work on upskilling our young population and enabling them to be part of the AI-first world so the continent is not left behind.”