CONNECTING A CONTINENT

Kagiso Khaole, Chief of Staff and Head of Content and Services at Samsung Africa, talks about the tech giant’s ongoing work to deliver affordable technology to African communities

The African technology industry is rapidly evolving.

According to research by Forbes, the number of so-called tech hubs – incubator facilities, innovation centres and accelerators – has risen by 50 percent over the past few years to more than 640 such sites in 2020.

The continent is home to 1.2 billion people, a large proportion of them being young and eager to embrace an increasingly digital way of life.

Improving technology infrastructure and access to smart connectivity devices is therefore paramount to driving progress - progress which needs to be made with Africa’s internet penetration sitting at just 39.3 percent in Q1 2020, well below the global average of 58.8 percent.

Global giant Samsung is a busy player on the continent, and Kagiso Khaole is the company’s regional Chief of Staff and Head of Content and Services.

As Head of the Content and Services Group in Africa, he leads a talented team responsible for the continuous evolution the Samsung ecosystem which spans across AI, IoT, health, gaming, payments, insurance, mobile security and 5G networks.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff remit covers two key areas of responsibilities which span all functional areas of the organisation, including strategic initiative ownership and driving organisational effectiveness. Ultimately, the aim here is to serve as a linchpin within the executive structure and provide strategic counsel to the President of the organisation to solve immediate and long-term challenges.

A demanding, far-reaching brief, but one which fulfils Khaole’s long-held passion for seeing technology deliver positive change. He took time out to answer our questions.

Africa Outlook (AfO): What sparked your interest in technology-based career?

Kagiso Khaole (KK): Technology is that boundless canvas which gives