EDITORIAL: Africa's digital revolution is work in progress

Part of the agenda at this year’s Transform Africa summit taking place in Kigali was to take stock of how far individual countries have come in Information Communication Technology (ICTs) development. Sessions were tailored to evaluate progress from basic development such as having ministries to promote technology adoption in the respective countries to significant milestones such as the industry’s contribution to growth of other sectors. Panelists and experts drawn from across the continent weighed in using their experiences and expertise. And from the deliberations, it emerged that African countries including Rwanda have been able to make progressive steps in social economic development thanks to adoption of technology, but a lot more needs to be done. The panelists also observed that the entire African continent remains attractive to international investors as over a billion people are yet to be connected to the internet or yet to own smart devices. International corporations should look to make the most of this investment opportunity by tailoring their technology products to suit the needs of the continent. Popular social media platform Facebook has led the way with the launch of a Kinyarwanda version of the platform, POSITIVO BGH, a Latin America electronic firm is also now manufacturing laptops in Rwanda, just to mention a few. However, despite the progress, concerns like lack of skilled labour force to maximize the opportunities presented by ICTs should be addressed. Also the regulatory environment where the emerging startups are looking to do business should be made more favourable especially in terms of access to finance. If the African continent is to accelerate digital innovation as per the forum’s theme, there is need to get back to the drawing table and devise new approaches to fully reap from technological dividends while consolidating the current gains.

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EDITORIAL: Africa's digital revolution is work in progress