Juanita Clark, chief executive of the Digital Council Africa.

In line with its rebranding exercise, Digital Council Africa has introduced a new conference concept, FibreCONEXT2020, which will kick-off at the start of next week.

Held under the theme “Navigating changing environments”, the virtual FibreCONEXT2020 will run from 23 to 27 November, kicking off with a pre-conference event at 2pm, when the Digital Council Africa will launch its annual research.

From 24 to 27 November, the free conference will commence from 10am – 1pm daily, featuring keynote speakers that include government ministers and captains of industry.

They are: Stella Ndabeni Abrahams, minister in the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies; Dr Andile Ngcaba, president of the Digital Council Africa; Augustin Kibassa Maliba, minister of the Department of Posts, Telecommunications, New Information and Communication Technologies in the DRC; Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Infrastructure SA within the Presidency; Xolile George from the South African Local Government Association; and Shameel Joosub, CEO Of Vodacom.

Digital Council Africa CEO Juanita Clark explains: “The #FibreCONEXT2020 virtual conference will be bringing you all the capabilities of a live conference on a virtual platform that offers a unique chance to stay connected and informed 24/7. The virtual event offers visitors to the show the chance to listen and reach out to key industry stakeholders from Africa and beyond − all from your browser.”

Established in 2010 by Clark and industry veteran Richard Came, the fibre council this year embarked on a rebranding strategy to become the Digital Council Africa, a move it said is aimed at addressing a wider audience on the benefits of high-speed broadband, and how it can be delivered to all citizens.

According to Clark, during rebranding, the members of the council seized the opportunity to bring about change with a new name, logo, look and feel, adding that the thought process which catapulted the council to effect this change is mainly due to the shift towards digital and the fourth industrial revolution.

She also indicates the council has extended membership to other sectors of the industry, while fibre will remain central to the council’s mandate.

The idea is not to limit the scope, play and opportunities the fourth industrial revolution presents, where fibre plays an active and critical role within the other sectors, states Clark.

“CONEXT is a new concept of the Digital Council Africa, with the hope to take the continent by a wave of series of events relating to the industry. The CONEXT series of events will feature fibre as the flagship event. The thinking on launching this new concept was to create a brand separate to the Digital Council Africa but still keep the connection.

“CONEXT is a platform for industry stakeholders, role-players and members all to engage and have a clear voice on the happenings and goings-on in the industry.”

Commenting on why delegates must attend the conference, Clark says the virtual platform enables the fibre community to connect with a wider audience, access from anywhere (the platform requires no download and is mobile-friendly), meet key industry stakeholders and executives, gain knowledge and view the conference presentations directly, and contact sponsors directly to arrange meetings during and post-event.

“The foremost benefit of attending a conference is networking. Technology has made it easier than ever for us to connect and collaborate with colleagues from just about anywhere in the world, with access to products and services at our fingertips.

“Digital Council Africa is thrilled to provide a unique platform for brands and industry experts to come together to share knowledge and discuss the latest innovations helping organisations be successful through the pandemic and beyond,” she states.

To register forFibreCONEXT2020, click here.

* ITWeb is the media partner of Digital Council Africa’s FibreCONEXT2020 conference.