The 27th installment of the Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town kicked off to an electrifying start, on Tuesday morning as financial services, healthcare, government, manufacturing, and the retail sectors all met to discuss inroads forward into a digitally sustainable and inclusive future for Africa.
The Africa Tech Festival, which features several other events in the form of AfricaCom, AfricaTech, and AfricaIgnite, saw even the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi make a solid commitment to propel investment toward a digital future that was inclusive and accessible for all.
The road to a competent digital infrastructure @SollyMalatsi#AfricaTechFestival2024#AfricaCom@africatechfest #AfricaIgnite #TheAIsummit #AI@Meta @Accenture @Huawei @HuaweiEnt @orange pic.twitter.com/JhTGOdvPlS
— TheBoardmemberGlobal (@BoardmemberGlo) November 12, 2024
Malatsi opened day one of the festival by stating how the government was working to create a digital economy that could uplift poor South Africans out of poverty.
“Research underscores the urgency of this mission, revealing that each 10% increase in broadband penetration can raise GDP by as much as 1.38% (International Telecommunications Union, 2022). Imagine the impact this could have across the African continent, where connectivity and inclusion remain key to unlocking our full economic potential,” the minister said.
South Africans needed to be digitally connected, and that connectivity needed to be inclusive, according to Malatsi.
It all begins with policy, he stated.
“We are also committed to reducing the cost of data and devices, making digital access affordable for more South Africans. In 2021, mobile data costs remained prohibitively high across much of Africa, with South Africa ranking 136th out of 148 countries in affordability (Alliance for Affordable Internet, 2021). Lowering these costs is not just about access. It’s about giving everyone the tools to participate and thrive fully in the digital economy. However, we cannot achieve this vision through government efforts alone. It requires collaboration with all players in our sector. I invite all our partners to bring your expertise, ideas, and solutions that will help advance the continent’s digital future.”
First key note for the day.
Benjamin Bonnel @expandafrica and Brelotte Ba, deputy CEO of @orange (@Orange_Egypt) middleeast
– #AI use cases #AfricaTechFestival2024#AfricaCom@africatechfest #AfricaIgnite #TheAIsummit #AI@Meta @Accenture @Huawei @HuaweiEnt @orange pic.twitter.com/0OU6ZCKAB8
— TheBoardmemberGlobal (@BoardmemberGlo) November 12, 2024
Vice President of Huawei’s Wireless Marketing Division Mohamed Madkour’s insight came in the form of a potent question.
“What is it that we need to add today from Broadband and Digital Services?
“I think we need to keep those Broadband and digital services, but we need to add two aspects and these two aspects are intelligent connectivity and transformation.”
He mentioned how there were two revolutions, one was energy, and the other was information. These were both feeding into an intelligent future and expected industrial revolution.
He agreed with Minister Malatsi’s notion that policy and regulations need to be looked into.
Broadband is the proposed future
A quick shift into another Broadband Africa Forum session explored how 5.5G development in Africa was the intended future proposed.
The Africa Broadband Forum 2024 (BBAF 2024) took place during the first leg of the Africa Tech Festival and focused on advancing fiber broadband development across Africa.
This would be achievable by fostering discussion on the policy framework, F5.5G technological innovation, and industry best practices.
Over 150 experts and industry leaders from international organizations, government agencies, and telecom operators gathered to explore strategies for expanding fiber infrastructure and enhancing connectivity on the continent.
They all seemed to agree on a desired competent broadband infrastructure.
Fibre future
Some challenges spotted in 5G device growth.
We look at protecting national assets like fixed national broadband infrastructure. #AfricaTechFestival2024#AfricaCom#AfricaTech #TheAIsummit @Meta @Accenture @Huawei @HuaweiZA @Huawei_Europe@cnbcafrica pic.twitter.com/MDdDbG0FuT
— TheBoardmemberGlobal (@BoardmemberGlo) November 12, 2024
We look at a broadband strategy.
Industries are changing and the broadband topic highlights increasing digital divide. #WBBA #Worldbroadbandassocation#AfricaTechFestival2024#AfricaCom@africatechfest #TheAIsummit @Meta @Accenture @Huawei @HuaweiEnt @orange pic.twitter.com/YOTcjVMU7W
— TheBoardmemberGlobal (@BoardmemberGlo) November 12, 2024