Rooting the digital strategy in strong commercial fundamentals is a non-negotiable in the highly competitive, fast-paced global environment.

This is according to Hendrik Malan, partner and operations director at Frost & Sullivan Africa, who also notes that given the pace of innovation, digital investments need to provide a strong return on investment (ROI) in the short term. "Many of these investments will simply become outdated in the mid-term," he adds.

Malan will be speaking at Frost & Sullivan's seventh consecutive annual Growth Innovation Leadership (GIL) Africa Summit scheduled to take place at the Table Bay hotel, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, in Cape Town on 17 August 2017.

The event will feature networking and workshop sessions, as well as keynote presentations, and will seek to answer the question: 'How are companies using digital tech to gain the ultimate competitive edge?'

Frost & Sullivan says businesses in Africa, led by robust leaders, are leveraging scalable digital technologies to mitigate challenges and drive growth.

Craig Parker, head of the automotive and mobility practice at Frost & Sullivan Africa, said, "While technology could revolutionise efficiency, businesses need to take into account the disruptive nature of local variables impacting the competitive strength of their business model."

"Factors such as legal, infrastructure, political and social implications will vary across regions. Real time adaptation to changing external variables is now possible with digital applications, and this will be the new driver to maintaining a competitive edge," he adds.

Frost & Sullivan emphasises the value of the event's 360 degree industries Think Tanks, which the company says "not only spark insightful discussions and ideas for each industry moving forward, but also provide future scenarios and potential outcomes for the industry sector through the correct implementation of digital technologies."