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Africa needs deliberate investment in digital to benefit from tech revolution

By , ITWeb
Africa , 02 Sep 2021

West African carrier neutral Tier III datacentre Rack Centre, in association with PwC, will host a seminar exploring how Africa can leverage the digital revolution, on 16 September.

In the second of an ongoing webinar series, the companies will focus on digital infrastructure as a key enabler for growth.

The companies believe that with Africa accelerating towards an inevitable digital future, it will only realise the opportunities for growth and developments across macroeconomic levers through deliberate investments in digital infrastructure that is connected in the future.

They reference World Bank Insights which notes that digital innovation is creating unprecedented opportunities for Africa to grow its economy, create jobs and transform people's lives, offering a chance to unlock new pathways for rapid economic growth, innovation, and access to services that would have been unimaginable only a decade ago.

Andile Ngcaba, the Chairman and Founder of Convergence Partners, a globally respected investment management firm focused on technology, media, and telecommunications in Africa, is the keynote speaker.

Other speakers include: Lanre Kolade, the Group CEO of CSquared, an African centred technology company that provides broadband-enabling infrastructure throughout Africa;Norman Albi, CEO of AFR-IX telecom, a global ISP; Susan Mulikita, Chief Regulatory Officer ofBandwidth & Cloud Services Group (BCS), Dr Ayotunde Coker, CEO of Rack Centre and Femi Osinubi, who is Partner and West Africa Technology Leader for PwC Nigeria with the seminar moderated by Elmo Hildebrand PwC South Africa Partner &Africa Technology, Media & TelecommunicationsLeader.

Dr Ayotunde Coker, CEO, Rack Centre, said the population in African is predominantly youth, and technologically savvy, so planning has to consider this strategic demography dividend.

He added that the rate of internet penetration is expanding among the general populace, digital start-ups are springing up, “so there is a growing need to develop and position digital Infrastructure, sharpen skills, and nurture entrepreneurship in the digital space.”

Femi Osinubi, Partner and West Africa Technology Leader for PwC Nigeria stated; “Technology and digitisation is a major part of PwC's new strategy known as The New Equation.Through the disruption of the past twelve months, organisations have had to transform their digital capabilities - from getting their people to work remotely to moving sales and services online. This means that organisations must continue to embed the changes made and progress the transformations.Infrastructure therefore, will play a major role in this evolution.”

Osinubi added that collaboration with Rack Centre provides a platform to discuss these changes and the implications for business and society ultimately leading to sustainable outcomes - a key component of PwC's New Equation.

“The New Equation is about a future that is human-led and tech-powered. It’s about how human ingenuity combines with technology innovation and experience to deliver faster, more intelligent and better outcomes while building trust and ensuring quality across the value chain,” he said.

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