Judging from nearly every speaker at the ongoing Transform Africa Summit, there is a lot of optimism in the air as far as embracing digital technology as a tool for economic advancement is concerned.
The fourth edition of the summit, being held under the theme, “Accelerating Africa’s single digital market”, also came with some good news; Ghana and Zambia were the latest countries to join the Smart Africa initiative, bringing the total to 24 countries.
Most African countries have been slow to join the digital revolution. Adopting digital technology has been like stepping into an expensive unknown with hidden dangers.
Rwanda saw it as an opportunity and jumped on it.
Today, we are seeing the digital world taking over day-to-day operations; from digital payments and e-Government to biometric identifications that links all data under one push of a button. One challenge, however, quickly manifested itself; trust.
With many on the continent now financially included through mobile money platforms, there is need to guarantee the integrity of the payment system to guard against fraud. That is what many fear, especially with the rise in cases of cybercrimes.
But Africa is not a lost cause when it comes to e-Connectedness; it only needs a slight mindset change to bridge its digital divide. Hopefully, that is taking place right under our eyes. The youth have taken it upon themselves to lead the digital charge.
It is not mere sweet talk but they have taken matters into their own hands and are leading in innovations. They are seriously disrupting the digital world and that is what this continent needs; far-reaching disruptions to help it from the deep slumber it has wallowed in for decades.
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Quelle/Source: The New Times, 09.05.2018
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