For several years now, Africa has been viewed as an upcoming growth market. According to experts, there are several reasons to back the optimism: the continent has the youngest population globally, a promising consumption market for decades to come, and the continent is increasingly mobile phone-enabled.
A growing digital ecosystem becomes a crucial factor in economic growth, as access to mobile phones and other smart devices enhances consumer information, job creation, networking, and financial inclusion. The development of intuitive technology through mobile-friendly apps provides the perfect avenue for growth.
An excellent example is the Betway app, an exclusive betting app that allows users to customize their accounts for ease of use. It comes in a simple interface which makes going through different sections on the website easy. With Betway already operating across several African countries, the launch of the app acts as an ideal blueprint for further innovations created for other sectors.
Despite all these reasons, the promise of growth remains underwhelming. Growth in the continent has stalled, forcing the IMF and the World Bank to trim their 2019 economic growth expectations for Sub-Saharan Africa to 3.5 and 2.8 percent, respectively. Disturbing stats reveal that close to 440 million of the poorest people live in Sub-Saharan Africa. The World Bank went further to project that should poverty reduction measures remain sluggish, Africa could be home to 90 percent of the world’s poorest by 2030.
The Impact of Technology Across 5 African Countries
Countries drawn from different regions in Africa offer diverse potential in terms of economic growth, median age, governance, and digitalization. Looking at South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda, technology offers significant growth potential. We are looking at three prime categories capable of driving economic growth via technology: job creation through digital platforms, digital potential per country, and the tools necessary for digital growth.
Job Creation Through Digital Platforms
Countries like Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa look ready for high-skilled digital jobs and have structures to take up online freelance jobs. The level of education among the youth is on the rise, and the IT sector is attracting massive enrolment primarily due to the promise of the digital revolution taking over the globe.
Local and foreign companies are already working across Africa in poverty-alleviation programs in conjunction with local governments. Such projects are steered through technological innovations created by local youths. Companies like Betway are creating income-earning opportunities, but the freedom given to local graduates to develop systems for specific industries is both motivating and empowering.
Digital Potential Per Country
Different countries have put in place digital structures to support local economic growth. Looking at development over a decade or so, it is clear to see the biggest beneficiaries. Rwanda and Egypt have incorporated foreign input into their systems to boost growth, and it seems to be working remarkably well for both countries.
The use of mobile money is also on the increase. Kenya takes the biggest market share of mobile money technology, with more than 85 percent of the Kenyan population already using MPesa, the first of its kind in the world.
Tool Necessary for Digital Growth
Besides governments providing the necessary infrastructure for growth, governance and online freedom remain key. Internet connectivity is above average across these five countries, but poverty levels remain a major hindrance.
Through respective ministries, governments have been at the forefront to address widening gaps in the digital divide. It is out in the public domain that the future is digital, and businesses are currently operating online. The emphasis on having citizens embrace technology as the new order is at an all-time high, and the fruits are evident. Various industries are working towards getting everything done online, and that includes the betting industry, where players like Betway offer the latest digital trends for users.
[jetpack_subscription_form show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” submit_button_text=”Hi, sign up so you can get the latest in breaking news, reviews, opinions, events, opportunities and community updates right in your inbox.” custom_font_size=”16″ custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
Uber is announcing the second edition of its Tech For Safety Summit for Sub-Saharan Africa. Scheduled to be held virtually on the 22 October 2020.
The event will foster conversations around safety challenges and how technology can be used to build safer communities.
Like last years’ Uber says the conversation will be around our daily safety concerns. Also noting that it will be “bigger, better and built with you in mind.”
We’re excited to again bring safety, technology and innovation to the forefront. … Bigger, better and built with you in mind, the summit plans to tackle some of Africa’s most pressing safety-related concerns. Which has been further complicated and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The safety of people across Africa is a priority that must be acted upon immediately in order to afford citizens the opportunity to enjoy their community and their country. The summit aims to redirect the constant ‘looking over our shoulders’ as we set our sights on a future that is safe, and attainable.
The event will also see startups pitch their “tech for safety” ideas live to a panel of judges and potential investors.
The current global crisis has highlighted several areas, from the need of efficient information management to the need of accurate data gathering for faster medical response. In looking at the role of technology during this period, one area that has stood apart in driving meaningful change is the role of partnerships.
Where is the place for partnerships in the technology industry during this time and beyond COVID-19? Amrote Abdella, Regional Director, Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative discusses this.
If you look at Microsoft for example, through its 4Afrika initiative, it has formed strategic partnerships with healthcare providers throughout Africa and beyond, providing them with technical support and business consultancy to help them achieve their goals. Each of these healthcare providers has had a significant impact in their sphere of influence, but with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve seen how our partners have used their existing platforms and programmes to pivot and adapt existing technologies to provide the much-needed response to address the challenges of the pandemic.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are already used in
healthcare, but in a rapidly evolving situation, these tools can significantly
help boost response times and preparedness. AI and cloud computing are likely
to dramatically change the way we deliver healthcare into communities, in a
highly positive way. By using big data and analytics to deliver real-time
insights and proven step-by-step workflows into healthcare service challenges,
large-scale healthcare systems can deliver improved performance and better
decision-making: essentially using artificial intelligence to power human act
to save lives.
When Microsoft4Afrika first partnered with BroadReach, a leading healthcare software vendor in Middle East and Africa, they were striving to create and implement data-driven solutions to improve the management and delivery of health programmes in underserved regions around the world. Together, they have created Vantage, an integrated cloud platform delivering powerful analytics that helps development, health and human services organisations quickly identify risks and opportunities.
During the Covid-19 crisis, BroadReach is using its cloud services to
rapidly gather data from thousands of health workers in the field and instantly
upload it into Vantage, where advanced analytics are giving leaders key
guidance to manage and prepare for the impact of the pandemic.
In healthcare, quick response times save lives. BroadReach
has produced a facility readiness survey that allows government to redirect resources
to prioritised hospitals and facilities, so that they have the right equipment and medical supplies on hand. Predictive analysis can be used to help forecast and track
outbreak hotspots. This is one true demonstration of how partnerships in technology
can deliver in situations that are rapidly changing and require high volumes of
data from disparate sources to be quickly analysed for use in prediction and
preventative measures.
As another example, a partnership with Raphta, a pioneer in Edge AI and computer vision in Africa, has developed software and hardware solutions that allow contactless biometrics which can be used for access control to facilities, among other things. Of course, during a pandemic where the virus can be transmitted on surfaces, contactless access assumes a far greater importance. Raphta is now offering its Shuri Face Contactless Biometrics solution to hospitals, clinics and buildings for thermal screening and containment, limiting contact and virus spread.
Using their current AI facial recognition software and hardware
technology and having quickly added the necessary thermal imaging technology,
the company is now running pilot projects at the Netcare Gardens Hospital in
Johannesburg, South Africa and at Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya.
Telemedicine is another area where technology is enabling safer
diagnosis and limiting unnecessary contact between patients and healthcare
providers. Globally, the use of telemedicine has been surging during the current
pandemic.
In Pakistan, we’ve seen first-hand the benefits of telemedicine in
reaching patients who have limited access to healthcare and healthcare workers.
Sehat Kahani,
an e-health start-up supported by 4Afrika provides patients who are far from
healthcare centres with access to qualified doctors via a telemedicine
platform, while cloud computing services mean that their patient records are
immediately available anywhere using a mobile device.
Telemedicine can perform a vital role in enabling people to access
healthcare services, remote diagnoses, and treatment plans. During the Covid-19
crisis, Sehat Kahani is using its smartphone app to provide virtual
consultations to patients across Pakistan, delivering educational content about
the pandemic, and helping to direct them to the correct healthcare facilities
if necessary. Using its telemedicine platform, it has educated more than a
million users about the virus and provided more than 6,000 online consultations
with patients.
It’s encouraging to see how technology can support the humanitarian
healthcare goals of countries across the globe, and how leading technology
companies can support and enable healthcare partners to provide better, faster
and more accurate treatment. Seeing how technologies can be adapted to work best in an emerging
crisis shows the value of investing in these partnerships to help develop these
platforms and services.
The clear challenge in Africa is bridging the gap in healthcare and providing equal access for all. By working with our partners across the African continent and beyond, we can see how technology is having a powerful impact on providing healthcare to the communities and countries who need it the most. Partners working together always provides more muscle through collaboration and we’ve seen technology allow our partners to scale, broadening their reach and subsequently have greater positive impact even in the current challenging, uncharted times.
Microsoft used its latest mixed reality capture technology to create an on stage human sized hologram. Well this isn’t new. What is new this time around is that the hologram from the demo below was speaking Japanese. A language Microsoft CVP, Azure Marketing doesn’t speak.
Using mixed reality and Azure AI services Microsoft was able to translate her speech into Japanese, training the hologram to speak and sound like her. This Microsoft says is “The magic of AI neural TTS and holograms”.
Watch Microsoft Demo AI technology and holographic experience on stage at Microsoft Inspire
Julia shares that to do this Microsoft used;
Mixed reality technology to create and render hologram
Azure speech-to-text capability in English transcription to get her speech
Azure translate to get her English speech into Japanese and then applied
Neural text-to-speech technology to make the Japanese sound like her.
What do you think about this ai technology? Getting ideas on other areas this can be used? Microsoft says the tech is here. Share your thoughts.
Microsoft signs MoU with Jordan government to raise 1000 local software developers, Support emerging software startups and support MCIT ministry with AI technology adoption.
Microsoft has signed a memorandum of understanding and partnership with the Jordanian government. The partnership will see Microsoft support the Jordan ICT ministry with their ICT and AI technology adoption. It will help increase and drive digital transformation across sectors of the country.
The agreement was signed during this years World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Meeting on the side of the event, Jean-Philippe Courtois, EVP and President of Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing & Operations, met with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah of Jordan. The move is in helping Jordan’s ambition to become a tech hub in the Middle East.
The three phase MoU according to Microsoft “will build the capacity of 1,000 young local software developers. Support emerging software startups and create an e-platform to help hundreds of companies and thousands of programmers.”
Jean-Philippe Courtois shared that he “was honoured and delighted to sign an MOU with the Government of Jordan and the Crown Prince Foundation“. He said “together we will work to digitally transform the country, empowering citizens with the AI skills they need to thrive in the digital economy.”
“In line with Microsoft’s mission to empower every person on the planet, and to support the evolving youthful tech scene in Jordan. Microsoft established a new partnership and signed an MoU with the MCIT and the Crown Prince Foundation of Jordan to digitally transform the country by empowering citizens with the AI skills they need to thrive in the digital economy.”
Microsoft
The MoU was signed by Jean-Philippe Courtois and the Jordanian MCIT minister with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II witnessing the signing.
