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Digital and Technological Inclusive Innovation Road Map for African Governments

In an increasingly connected world that is unrelentingly zoned into digital technology, the countries of the South are trying to bridge the digital divide with the North. Africa is in the throes of a technological revolution, leapfrogging computers in favour of internet connections through mobile phones. 

There are definite sequences in development from simple hunting and gathering societies to herding, hand agriculture, plow agriculture, and industrialisation. The key element in such schemes was technology. Given a certain technology, it was argued that only certain economic and social arrangements we’re possible.

Now that inclusive innovation is all around us. What are the possible solutions for equipping young Africans with the best skills that would help them prepare for the digital economy and for the jobs of tomorrow? What are the strategic framework propose or implemented by our governing stakeholders in Africa? Are they prepared for the journey to the world of digital technology evolution and opportunities unexplore in the young continent ? A fifth of the continent now have access to a broadband connection, a figure predicted to triple in the next five years.

Here is the road map to success for Africans to explore more of the digital world:

  • African governments must create a fair, transparent and smart regulatory environment that consumers and service providers can both have confidence in.
  • Policy makers must adopt national digital agriculture strategies, coupled with public investment plans.
  • Authorities must prioritise high-quality, skilled-based digital education, especially amongst young people. The benefits of doing so can be profound.

Countries that have adopted such strategies are already seeing the benefits. Take Rwanda as an example. Since 2000, Rwanda’s government has embraced an ambitious digital agenda to achieve a full digital economy by 2020. With agriculture accounting for around four-fifths of Rwanda’s employment and a third of its GDP, agricultural digitalisation promises to bring nothing short of a total economic transformation to the country.

Learning from Rwanda

The Global Innovation Index has praised Rwanda’s work to improve digital penetration of the economy, heralding it as an innovation achiever. Rwanda already has helped 93% of its population gain access to a 3G network. It is one of the fastest growing African economies and is also one of the most popular countries for tech investors in sub-Saharan Africa, receiving $36.7 million in start-up investments in 2017.

Rwanda is just one example of how the continent is preparing itself to leapfrog into modern agricultural practices, by ensuring the right enabling environment is in place. African e-entrepreneurs are already well on their way towards transforming its agricultural sector through digitalisation.

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