IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

According to a report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), it revealed that some 230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa will require some level of digital skills by 2030.

Forbes also predicts that 85% of jobs that will be available in 2030 haven’t yet been invented, as the work humans do will continually shift due to the fact that most jobs will become obsolete due to the emergence of new ones.

Following two years of negotiation, multinational wireless communications engineering company SkyMax Network Limited (SkyMax) and Ericsson have entered into an MoU to build a next-generation 5G broadband network, inclusive of a digital services delivery platform, across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Under the MoU, Ericsson will be SkyMax’s trusted partner for network supply, rollout, and optimisation and for managed services. SkyMax will also be able to tap Ericsson’s technologies and global deployment experience in network design, network management and market development.

Information and communications technology (ICT) and in particular satellite communications can enable the timely delivery of care, training and educational content, perform epidemic surveillance and support health system administration over the vast distances involved in the region.

While you might be wondering what, other than being sympathetic, we can do from across the world, a group of students at The Pennsylvania State University has jumped to the challenge to make a difference. These students have enrolled in classes that will allow them to go above and beyond what is imagined, much less expected, of young adults.

Mr Eze said funds had already been made available for the city’s construction, as it would be the first smart city in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has begun the construction of an innovative and scientifically driven smart city with at least 22,000 structures.

The Enugu State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Lawrence Eze, disclosed this in a chat with journalists on Friday in Enugu.

Africa stands at the cusp of a technological revolution, spearheading innovation in the regulatory and governance landscapes. Through the dynamism of RegTech (regulatory technology) and GovTech (government technology), countries across the continent are not only embracing the future but actively shaping it.

With technologies such as big data analytics and fraud management solutions, as well as the partnership between the public and private sectors, governmental bodies are empowered to efficiently navigate extensive datasets, identify potential risks, and detect instances of non-compliance.

Mark Walker, director of vertical and end-user research practice at IDC Middle East, Africa and Turkey, says the most significant change from last year's predictions is the overall size of the market and the growing global interest in the Sub-Saharan region.

“There has been significant interest in the area in terms of development and it is seen as a sort of antidote for investment following the impact of the recession on other markets,” says Walker.

Addressing the 3rd IACP Sub-Saharan Africa Executive Policing Conference in Kigali, President Kagame said: “It is evident that the security challenges of the twenty-first century are increasingly sophisticated as well as global, and require international collaboration to effectively combat them.”

In sub-Saharan Africa, where roughly 60% of people still live in rural areas urbanisation is occurring faster than anywhere else in the world. The temptation to build new cities on greenfield sites, away from existing city centres is enormous.

Alison Groves, director: discipline lead: built ecology and WSP in Africa and Hlologelo Manthose, built ecology: sustainability consultant at WSP in Africa, are advocates for retrofitting buildings to make them more sustainable – environmentally, socially and economically – across Africa’s cityscapes.

Africa has one extension worker per 4,000 farmers, compared with one per 200 hundred farmers in developed countries, the conference, Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services: Linking Knowledge to Policy and Action for Food and Livelihoods, heard last month (15-18 November).

Availability of affordable connectivity and improved budgetary allocations by companies and governments have allowed increased investments in cloud services in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Google, MTN, Internet Solutions and Vodacom Group provide a large percentage of cloud services, driven by affordable connectivity, although the feeling is that there is need for awareness on the value of cloud services.

Half of the world's inactive universal service funds are located in sub-Saharan Africa

In many parts of the semi-arid regions here in Kenya, residents often walk long distances and climb trees to get a signal. This scenario is replicated in many areas in Africa, as well.

Telecom companies don't see such areas as profitable. With the population in these regions sparsely spread over large tracts of land, such areas would be capital intensive to cover. As a result, getting a mobile signal in rural Africa can be like striking gold.