Johannesburg, 21 Jul 2022
Our continent’s future prosperity is dependent on how successfully we can achieve and deliver on a united vision of digital transformation. Emerging digital solutions can help us overcome challenges such as proof of identity, financial inclusion and skills development.
As we recently celebrated Africa Month and commemorated the founding of the first union of African countries in May 1963, let’s also take the opportunity to reflect on the relevance and urgency of uniting as a continent to leverage digital technology to enhance the lives of our people.
“The resources are there. It is for us to marshal them in the active service of our people. Unless we do this by our concerted efforts, within the framework of our combined planning, we shall not progress at the tempo demanded by today’s events and the mood of our people.” – Extract from Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah’s iconic 1963 speech.
Nkrumah’s clarion call for unity and utilising the resources at our disposal to create the Africa we desire resonates to this day. It is evident as we strive to write Africa’s story in the fourth industrial revolution. We must accelerate Africa’s digital transformation roadmap to create a future for generations to come. The world will not wait for us and we cannot sit and watch as we get left behind.
When we stand united on the digital front, we have the potential to move our people from poverty to developing prosperity and from dependence to independence. United, we can create African tech solutions that are contextual and will honour those they intend to assist, bringing innovation both locally and globally. Our digital boldness can realise the Africa longed for by Nkrumah and our founding fathers.
Digital transformation can lay the foundations of Africa’s digital superhighway on which we’ll see all citizens have national identities, obtain access to financial services and possess the skills to drive contextual innovation.
Enabling national identity for all citizens
As many as half a billion African citizens, more than a third of the continent’s population, do not have a foundational form of identity. At the same time, only 30% are registered with birth certificates.
These “identity-less” millions cannot easily access essential services. The implications of “providing legal identity for all, including birth registration” go beyond individual rights and opportunities. Verifying the identities of their individuals is critical for countries to deliver services efficiently, strengthen their ability to raise revenues and foster the ICT sector.
Digital identities can help transform the future for many on our continent as we develop digital ID ecosystems across the continent. Digital identities automate processes to make them more streamlined, enabling people to undertake identification services remotely and conveniently, on devices such as mobile phones. As a result, technology can eradicate a world where people are unknown and unseen.
Financial inclusivity
Financial inclusivity is central to Africa’s sustainable development. Access to financial services and products should be a fundamental right for everyone, and particularly for those who are underserved, including women, the youth and rural communities.
While Africa has seen much progress made over the past 15 years, the World Bank estimates that up to 65% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa are still unbanked, driving financial inclusion as one of the continent’s top priorities in 2022.
Thanks to emerging technologies, Africa has seen fintech innovation creating access to the economy for those previously excluded. While more investment is required, it’s exciting to see increasingly affordable and inclusive products for individuals and SMEs. Africa must be at the forefront of efforts to harness digital technologies and stimulate financial inclusivity.
Skills development
Almost 60% of Africa’s population is under the age of 25. In rural areas where schools are far apart and teachers few, e-learning and distance learning can open new doors to education. Fundamentally, e-learning has the potential to halt poverty’s migration from one generation to the next.
True digital transformation in Africa is dependent on inspiring young people to develop digital skills. We can no longer import expensive skills from the rest of the world, which seldom results in skills transfer. Through innovation in learning methods, enabled and enhanced by technology, we can transform Africa’s labour force to meet its growing demand for more digital skills.
As skills increase on our continent, it opens the way for innovation. Digitally upskilling Africa will embolden her many aspiring entrepreneurs to innovate, keeping up with the demands of our customers.
In Africa, for Africa, by Africa
“It is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems, and that this can only be found in African unity. Divided we are weak; united, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world.” – Kwame Nkrumah.
Digital transformation, powered by African unity, is a powerful force in creating a continent we can be proud to leave to the next generation. As we unite with a shared vision, we can accelerate the realisation of the ideals expressed at the establishment of the African Union.
What looks like insurmountable challenges today can be solved by Africans, using African solutions, in our own unique African way.
This is our time...
Karabo Moloko, CEO - Sybrin SA, Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karabo-moloko-999879169/
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