Technology is constantly evolving, leaving room for heightened growth if applied to various sectors’ development. This article will explore some of those technologies that can positively impact Africa’s development, the importance and role of innovation in developing countries and how different sectors are working on improving technology in these developing countries.
First, Africa Is Evolving
The first point of clarity that most need to be familiar with is that Africa has never been the jungle it was perceived to be by those who have never set foot here. For years and decades, we have been attempting and succeeding at moving with the times, and while we have had our own challenges, which we will discuss later, the urge to get in and stay in the evolving tech world has been paramount for Africa, its people and children. The realisation that our cultural wealth coupled with the fast-paced digital world can change us for the better has been visible, and we have been answering the call.
The IT world has been at the forefront of upskilling as many youths as possible and equipping them with the right tools to understand and comprehend the digital world, sparking an interest in careers around this field. More and more South African and other African countries’ youth are being exposed to career opportunities such as coding, data science, analytics and more, and this opens up a whole new world for them.
The Art In AI
Movies have been showing us how the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be the dawn of new robotic technology that’ll be designed to take over our minds, but fortunately, that hasn’t been the case at all. In fact, according to technology media platform IoT (Internet of Things) For All, “AI is evolving faster and better than ever through numerous applications that improve the lives of individuals and streamline business operations. From your virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri or Google’s Home to Netflix’s movie suggestions for you, web support chat bots, or tracking the ETA of your Uber Eats, these systems help to answer your questions, field your requests, and make your life easier.” This is the kind of information and communication technology development and growth that betters the lives of others and creates career opportunities.
Money Talks, And Helps
A lot of the economic growth and technological advancement needed to develop any country or place will cost a lot of money. However, development finance institutions, public and other private sector companies are investing in these initiatives. At DBSA, we finance and prepare a wide range of projects, including international connectivity, backbone and network infrastructure, towers, fibre, undersea cables, data centres, satellites and fintech solutions. Our relationships with the government, public and private sectors have enabled us to provide long-term funding to improve the IT and technology industry, but of course, more work still needs to be done to help Africa develop.
Code Switch? We Won’t Mind If You Do
More and more people are seen migrating to new career opportunities in the IT sector due to their work opportunities, upskilling programmes and access to education through learnership and other forms of mentorship. This has enabled the IT industry to gain more people who are willing to work on the advancement of the already evolving technology. In South Africa, the development of IT has been so important that there have been academies offering coding and data science courses to young people for free. This has not only sparked interest in young people but also plays a part in career development and economic growth.
Africa is opening itself up to international influence and collaborations, with more and more people working on developing the places they are currently in instead of seeking a better life elsewhere. We will admit, challenges such as unequal opportunities for young people in disadvantaged areas, cultural and societal influences on women and children, and mismanagement of resources are among some of the challenges we face, but we are constantly shifting the narrative and developing as many places as we can. Of course, we cannot do it alone. We need the help of those who are more advanced and have more resources. But, we will not stop now; we are too far ahead.