With the mineral resources it has available and the fact that by 2050, 50% of the world's working population will come from Africa, the continent is perfectly poised to take advantage of global trade patterns.

Speaking at the 7th annual Frost & Sullivan GIL Africa event hosted in Cape Town, Sneha S. Shah, MD, Africa, Thomson Reuters, said specifically south-south trade is increasing and is an equitable and sustainable opportunity.

Shah referenced the opportunity within cryptocurrencies, particularly with regard to application in land registry (in Ghana and Nigeria) that ensures "an un-hackable record of land transfer and ownership".

She added that 70% of Africa's population has a mobile device and the rise of mobility is providing concrete digital offerings, including mobile retail bonds and microhealth insurance.

"But organisations have to be agile and have a growth culture. Think about this...the speed and pace of change today in the world, is the slowest it will ever be... the question is, are you ready?"

Transforming healthcare

Dr Ryan Noach, Deputy CEO, Discovery Health, outlined the impact digital is having on healthcare services. "Behaviour change is fundamental to a sustainable insurance model. Technology is an enabler."

Communication between key roleplayers within the healthcare system was identified as a challenge but one that technology can immediately and directly help address.

The company plans to roll out an interactive digital platform called DrConnect this year, through which members will be able to source healthcare information directly via Q&A.

According to Noach, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change doctors jobs and looking ahead, people will be at the centre of healthcare and coordinate this themselves.

In another session entitled how to spot digital gold, delegates were asked the criteria that would assist in being able to identify and evaluate a real investable digital opportunity.

Factors including sustainability, risk, scalability, cost and benefits, were mentioned, along with having the right partnerships in place.