Some 15,000 delegates participated in the last four editions of Transform Africa Summit, a flagship event of Smart Africa. Up to 4,000 delegates from around Africa and beyond are descending on Kigali for the 5th edition this week. The TAS 2019 will run under the theme, “Boosting Africa’s Digital Economy” and organisers say it will attract Heads of State and Government, First Ladies, UN Broadband Commissioners, regulators, public and private sector actors, International organisations, industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, young Innovators, civil society and academia. A rare guest, Sophia the world’s first robot citizen, is one of the hugely-anticipated attendees. A strategic forum for Africa’s engagement on emerging and digital technologies, Transform Africa is an opportunity for the continent to learn from the best in the sector and recommit to accelerating uptake of ICT solutions. The meeting is a platform to learn from some of the world’s best tech brains, and share experiences on how to keep abreast with the ever-changing technological landscape. One of the highlights of the Transform Africa Summit is the Miss Geek competition, a contest that seeks to encourage African girls to partake in the effort to find sustainable solutions to challenges facing society using technology. The contest is designed to encourage girls to join careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. The initiative deserves support from all the actors, including governments and the industry, as it offers an opportunity to the continent to grow a tech savvy generation that will take the lead in addressing most pressing challenges facing the African people. The summit is an opportunity for young and aspiring innovators and startups to pitch their ideas with view to securing funding for their projects. Whether you are an established business or startup, this is an opportunity that you simply cannot afford to pass up. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
