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The chief executive of Smart Africa, Lacina Koné has pointed out that modern technology tools, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) bear good tidings for Africa even as he insisted that the continent has what it takes to be a major player in the global digital economy.
In an interview with African Business, he said, “I truly believe that AI is a technology that will benefit Africa more than any other continent in the world. Among other things, it will correct the literacy imbalance, enabling those without the skills currently needed to access technology to also do.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“With AI and NLP (natural language processing), our young people can develop applications that can be used by people who have not been to school so they can at least use the technology,” he predicted.
Koné also portrayed Africa as a force to be reckoned with in digital innovation in the not-too-distant future, explaining that the tech-focused institutions of training springing up across the continent will help actualise this.
He also predicated Africa’s bright tech future on the fact that global tech brands such as Google, Meta, IBM and Microsoft are setting up in Africa, providing an avenue to nurture and develop these talents of young people coming out of the institutions of learning.
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According to him, with companies in the West looking to outsource digital engineering jobs, Africa could become a ready source, just as India was for back-office operations in the previous surge of outsourcing.
The Smart Africa CEO however decried impediments to the use of digital technologies in the continent, noting that lack of infrastructure is only a part of the problem hindering access. He observed that while there is a general focus on extending infrastructure for coverage, less attended to is the question of usage.
His words: “We are facing a problem that is bigger than coverage. Out of the 1.4 billion people in Africa, only 43% are connected but we have 30% of people living in areas where there is infrastructure that is not being used.”
To address this challenge, Koné called for affordable data and affordable devices, adding that, “more local content and cyber hygiene, that 30% could be brought into the digital realm, bringing connectivity in the continent to 75% by 2025.
“More specifically, there should be greater emphasis on the landlocked countries, which are often left out of initiatives to boost connectivity.
“We want to talk about land-linked countries. A country can be landlocked but when they are land-linked, they have no disadvantage compared to other countries,” the chief executive said.
