AfricaCom 2018 shows us that technology is really key to Africa's growth

Llewellyn the Hane

As Green, we had the privilege of being the only Namibian ICT company to be exhibiting at AfricaCom 2018, just as we had been last year. We shared the booth with Submer, whose Submer Smartpod is a green (environmentally friendly) solution for cooling data centers. It's a pleasure to associate with an advanced technology company. What has struck me this year at AfricaCom, as in previous years, is its professionalism and the speed with which the ICT sector matures in Africa. The event brought together 14,000 participants, 450 speakers and 400 exhibitors. It's great and a story that deserves to be told in itself, but it made me think of the direction we are taking as a continent, but especially in Namibia with regard to technology.

We found that technology and innovative solutions to the problems faced by companies and organizations from all over Africa showed that there were real solutions to the challenges facing our continent. Workarounds and solutions to challenges such as Wi-Fi connectivity in rural areas, developments in financial technology (FinTech) that go far beyond electronic transfers, and even something as simple as Mobile Money, which consists of sending antenna time and cryptocurrencies. Which smart companies have tailored to our degree of penetration and adoption of access to smartphones, the Internet and the Web.

Everything that was tangibly connected to ICT was present and covered at the exhibition; that it is an infrastructure of connectivity, disruptive technologies, digital services or an ICT strategy. Engel Nawatiseb, our own deputy minister of ICT, emphasized the importance of this event. He took the time to meet with Green at our booth, which was of course a great opportunity to talk to the deputy minister about all ICT issues.

The challenges Namibia is currently facing are innumerable and can in part be solved or mitigated by implementing technological solutions, integrating innovation and truly pursuing an ICT-based program. Not only to develop and seek solutions in sectors that are already implementing technology and innovation, but also in those that may not have been as quick to adopt technology. For lack of resources, funds, knowledge or simply access to these technologies. The AfricaCom 2018 conference demonstrated what exists, what we are able to achieve and deploy across the continent.

We must simply stop being cautious and stand aside and dare to take the plunge and fully commit to using ICTs and innovation to propel our sectors and academic industries, from agriculture, fishing, finance, manufacturing, health and services. It can also be a catalyst for reducing bureaucracy, increasing efficiency and fighting fraud and corruption. I firmly believe that, as Namibia, we can not take an economic turn and create the future we all want and dream for Namibia if we collaborate in the public and private sectors and defend the development of TIC. The AfricaCom 2018 was the ideal event to get us started and move quickly and decisively.
* Llewellyn Le Hané is Director of Green Enterprise Solution

New Era Reporter
2018-11-29 10:07:49 27 minutes ago