The Africa Tech Festival, taking place this week (11-14 November) in Cape Town, saw telecommunications vendors and operators get together with governments and key policy-makers to pilot the continent on it’s transition to a digital economy.
Kathy Gibson reports
Clean, reliable power key to Africa’s digital economy
South Africa and Africa must drive forward to create a digitally-inclusive environment that creates opportunities for entrepreneurs and lifts people out of poverty.
Solly Malatsi, minister of communications and digital technologies, says: “Digital inclusion is an essential facilitator of social inclusion,” he says. “It is about delivering the services that enable people to live, work and learn.”
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Call for Africa to collaborate on digital development
African countries need to collaborate to ensure that the continent’s young population is connected and able to participate in the digital economy.
This is the word from John Omo, secretary-general of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), addressing the Ministerial Forum ahead of AfricaCom 2024.
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Digitalisation could help Africa to thrive
Africa lags much of the world in connectivity and access to the digital economy – and its people are missing out on opportunities as a result.
It’s no secret that the continent is falling behind on its sustainable development goals (SDGs) and is on track to meet just 10 of the 144 SDGs by 2030.
Hloni Mokenela, MD of Africa Analysis South Africa, points out that about 40% of Africans are still living below the poverty line – with 22% youth unemployment and 600-million children of primary school age currently not in school.
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SA poised on the edge of a widening digital divide
Africa is lagging the rest of the world in connectivity and access to digital opportunities – and it’s not going to catch up any time soon unless we fundamentally change the way we provide access, power, and devices.
And, while South Africa is doing a lot better than the rest of the continent, it has still failed to connect almost half of its citizens.
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Collaboration key for African connectivity
Africa is a land of opportunity, gifted with young people with great passion.
Mohamed Madkour, vice-president: ICT strategy and marketing at Huawei, shares that Africa’s development in terms of connectivity has been impressive, but there is still a lot of work to do.
We have a golden opportunity to enable people o be happier and healthier, Madkour says. Organisations could be more productive and countries enjoy more prosperous economies.
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In Africa, the time for talking is over
Too often, African leaders and policy makers talk about the opportunities we could grasp – but fail to take the action needed to make those opportunities a reality.
The importance of broadband connectivity in today’s economy cannot be over-emphasised, but we need to move fast to avoid falling behind so badly we can never catch up.
John Omo, secretary general of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), believes that Africa’s social and economic development is predicated upon access to broadband.
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Africa prepares for 5.5G
While much of Africa is battling to connect with 5G technology, 5.5G is already on the horizon.
The digital and intelligent future is here, with technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) key to driving it forward. But intelligent IP networks have to be in place to make new technologies a reality.
At the Africa IP Gala on the sidelines of AfricaCom, Huawei is bringing together policy-makers, operators and customers to advance the adoption of 5.5G.
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Fibre key to ubiquitous broadband rollout in Africa
Globally, fibre has begun to dominate fixed broadband connectivity, and continues to expand.
This is the word from Dobek Pater, ICT analyst at Africa Analysis, speaking at the Africa Broadband Forum on the sidelines of AfricaCom taking place in Cape Town.
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How resilient is your organisation against a cyberattack?
As we move towards a digital-everything world, cybersecurity, cloud security, and cyber resilience is more important than ever.
Ayanda Peta, CISO at Africa Rainbow Minerals, points out that most organisations are unaware if they have been hacked. “And when you find out, how do you react?” he asks. “Are you resilient, and can you bounce back? Do you inspire confidence in stakeholders?”
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Business urged to lead in Africa’s digitalisation
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.
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MTN SA, Huawei in SA’s first 5.5G mobile network trial
MTN South Africa, in strategic partnership with Huawei, has completed the first 5.5G network trial in South Africa at MTN’s head office in Johannesburg.
5.5G technology includes five key features: 10-gigabit experience; all-scenario Internet of Things; integrated communication perception; L4-level autonomous driving networks; and green ICT.
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Youth holds the key for African success
Africa’s young population is key to the continent’s success in the digital economy – and forward-thinking countries are finding ways to leverage their passion and innovation.
A panel discussion with government leaders at the Africa Tech Festival explored how the youth can help to spark digitalisation and solve some of the continent’s most pressing challenges.
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Global solutions needed for global issues
Governments around the world, civil society, and private companies need to work together to enable ubiquitous and secure global connectivity.
This is the word from Jessica Rosenworcel, chairperson of the US Federal Communications Commission, who calls for Africa Tech Festival delegates to aim for digital solidarity.
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In Africa, poor infrastructure is compounded by operational inefficiencies
Infrastructure gaps inhibit access for hundreds of millions of unconnected Africans – but the bigger issue is our inability to orchestrate the networks that we do have.
“The access gap we have is not so much an infrastructure issue but an access and enablement issue,” says Funke Opeke, MD of MainOne, speaking on a panel at the Africa Tech Festival.
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Africa could unlock potential with AI
Africa, rich in culture and human potential, is standing at the cusp of an artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.
Large language models, blockchain, and the Internet of Things all hold out immense potential to propel the continent towards a prosperous and sustainable future, says Bernardo Mariano Jr, chief IT officer and assistant secretary-general at the United Nations.
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Broadband adoption ramps up in Africa
Broadband is leading the connectivity charge in Africa as countries across the continent get access to fast networks.
This was the overarching message from the Africa Broadband Forum 2024, held on the sidelines of the Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town this week.
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