The Declaration of Principles endorsed at the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held in Geneva from 10-12 December 2003 clarified that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are an important enabler of growth through efficiency gains and increased productivity, in particular for SMEs.
It also spelled out that equitable distribution of the benefits from ICT-supported productivity gains and applied innovations across economic sectors contributes to poverty eradication and social development, and that policies that foster productive investment and enable firms (notably SMEs) to make the changes needed to seize the benefits from ICT, are likely to be the most beneficial.
Over several decades, we have watched as technology has revolutionized commerce, communication, information, transportation and most recently, fintech. We have also seen many of the short-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including impacts on supply chains, dramatic changes in the way we work and how business provide services to their customers.
COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of online buying, cashless payments and the general growth of the digital ecosystem. Whereas the various containment measures put in place by governments were partially or fully lifted, there is no denying that millions of consumers are creating and reinforcing new online buying behaviors and habits. In a post-Covid world, consumers are more motivated than ever to shop online and have deliveries made at their doorsteps.
Towards digital identity
As the global digital economy expands, and with Covid-19 changing the way we conduct business, Digital Identity is becoming increasingly important, especially given its impact on SDG target 16.9, which calls for “legal identity for all.” As public and private service providers move into the digital realm, the ability for individuals to prove who they are will be essential for accessing benefits and services via digital platforms.
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), this move toward Digital Identity platforms can increase efficiency of service delivery, reduce transaction costs, besides driving innovation and development.
Further, in the dematerialized environment that characterizes digital society, citizens can go online to easily access a wide variety of services (healthcare, education and financial services, among others), which they may otherwise not be able to benefit from due to cost, lack of infrastructure, etc. This, however, creates the need for these now “digital citizens” to prove their identity when they go online, in a secure manner and using Trusted Digital Identities (TDIs).
Growth of the gig economy
The diminishing job opportunities on the African continent has fuelled the growth of the gig economy as many youngsters strive to eke a living. Working from home and shopping online means more households using gig-economy platforms more frequently. This is also bound to be the norm in a post-pandemic period, as many job seekers will look towards the gig economy.
Notably, digital gig work is becoming increasingly important as a potential pathway to socio-economic development and employment creation, given Africa’s unique status as the continent with the youngest population but the highest youth unemployment rate.
According to the 2016 Jobs for Youth in Africa Report by the African Development Bank (AfDB), nearly 420 million youths in Africa are unemployed. The situation is bound to worsen as the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that the number of youths facing unemployment in the continent is expected to reach 830 million by 2050.
Video conferencing technology
Meanwhile, with most organisations adopting the hybrid work system, one of the concerns is the risk of employees working remotely in silos and the associated loss of collaboration.
On the other hand, digital tools are becoming more sophisticated and, in the current remote working environment, adopted more widely. An example is the use of video conferencing tools and programmes which allow for virtual meetings and collaboration. We have seen a notable increase of video technology being used for investor meetings, Court hearings, and client-service provider interactions.
The proliferation of digital workplace productivity tools also means that adoption of enterprise cloud services, especially those capable of supporting large numbers of concurrent users, is set to accelerate.
Restrictions in supply of certain hardware, and more general cost constraints on businesses, will make cloud services and virtualization all the more attractive.
Technology transfer
As technology adoption grows, so is the need for technology transfer. The benefits of technology can only be reaped if we have people with sufficient skills, especially in this era of blockchain technology.
Underpinned by this need, Polygon, the leading Web3 blockchain network used by some of the world’s biggest companies including Meta, Stripe, Reddit etc., and Xend Finance, the leading global crypto bank, recently launched the Polygon bootcamp, an eight-week intensive mentorship program and hackathon in Africa.
The Polygon Bootcamp and Hackathon are the company’s first in Africa and introduces developers in the region to the Polygon ecosystem using Xend Finance and Polygon technologies.
The bootcamp brought together more than 2,000 developers, working with numerous developer organizations in Africa, including GDG Nairobi, amongst others from five African countries, namely: Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt and Rwanda. All participants were awarded with certificates.