WHEN INNOVATION HAS NO LIMITS
The Africa50 Innovation Challenge Advisory Board have been instrumental in getting the Challenge off the ground. Here are excerpts on their thoughts on the power of innovation and transformation through technology.
Carole Wainaina Special Advisor to the CEO, Africa50 How will the first Africa50 Innovation Challenge work in terms of scaling up the winning solutions?
We will first develop the projects in Rwanda, one of our shareholder countries. This will involve all the usual steps in project development and finance, from doing the necessary feasibility, environmental, and social studies, obtaining government approvals, and finding financing partners. A crucial step for innovative projects is to provide venture capital-like seed funding to get them off the ground and entice other partners to join. This is why we launched an innovation challenge, which is aimed at providing early stage funding to new technologies that can help increase access to reliable internet connectivity in rural areas. As an African entity, Africa50 is eager to invest in innovation, it is an opportunity to make profitable returns while benefiting society and helping address a pressing development challenge. We must play an active role in our continent’s digital transformation. By working together with public and private players, we have the power to develop our champions of change, we can transform Africa and improve the quality of life of our current and future generations.
Lacina Kone CEO, Smart Africa Covid-19 has created an unexpected paradigm shift. How do you see that shift impacting economies and more specifically the ICT sector?
The Covid-19 crisis has provided also an opportunity to build stronger African societies that can withstand devastating social, economic and political emergencies. It is a chance to introduce innovative, flexible solutions to increase our resilience and ensure sustainable development. The crisis has reinforced the understanding within Africa member states that technology in every economic sector is key to a resilient economy.
Andrew Rugege Regional Director for Africa, ITU How has the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need to fast track the development of digital infrastructure in Africa?
The pandemic has highlighted to the world and Africa how absolutely critical digital infrastructure is to every aspect of modern society. How many lives would have been saved if, we had the requisite digital infrastructure for telemedicine connecting remote health centres to reference hospitals? How many children now out of school under Covid-19 lockdowns would have been able to continue their education online?
Protection, mitigation, business continuity and sustainable livelihoods have been found to depend in part on digital infrastructure and it is now evident that no country should wait to fast track digital infrastructure as critical public infrastructure.
Africa50 is to be commended for initiating the Innovation Challenge because not only does it provide the young innovators with a platform to showcase their innovations but also brings to life real-life bankable solutions to Africa’s last-mile connectivity challenges.
Solomon Quaynor Vice President, Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization, African Development Bank What are the key initiatives the bank is pursuing to support economic transformation through 4IR?
We need to get Africa fully connected to the internet.
The bank has provided direct finance of $165m for the Central African and the Trans-Saharan fibre optic backbones.
Our interventions in egovernment are designed to extend access to government services to rural populations and to provide real, meaningful utility to Africans.
We are financing tech-focused venture capital funds, such as $30m extended to the Rwanda Innovation Fund. We’ve made investments in innovation hubs in Senegal and Cape Verde and are putting an emphasis on technology skills within our Jobs for Youth in Africa programme, which will create 130 Coding Centres of Excellence over the next 10 years.
Dr Vera Songwe
Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa How has technology been a game changer in the fight against Covid-19?
The one sector that has thrived in the crisis is the technology sector. The rapid uptake of mobile phones on the continent, the continuing drop in price of smartphones as well as the availability of locally assembled and manufactured handsets, have contributed to increased internet usage largely using mobile broadband. This progress has led to the development of innovative applications and solutions, ranging from apps to support contact tracing, information dissemination, distance learning, e-commerce, to Covid-19 online tools for self-assessment of risk exposure and self-diagnosis.
How important is the creation of a resilient and secure digital economy to support Africa’s sustainable and inclusive growth?
Given that approximately 80% of adults in Africa do not have access to formal banking services, innovations in mobile payment solutions has been instrumental in ensuring financial inclusion key to inclusive growth.
Initiatives such as the Africa50 Innovation Challenge are important because they respond to the issues of lack of connectivity, service delivery and the diffusion of digital technologies and knowledge across unconnected communities. The creation of a critical mass on the demand side can spur innovation and the development of new digital products and services in various socio-economic activities ranging from health to education, public services and business.
Dr Amani Abdou-Zeid, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy COVID-19 has created a paradigm shift increasing demand for internet connectivity. How do you see that shift impacting the efforts of countries to digitise their economies?
Covid-19 related restrictions have brought to the fore the importance of digital technologies in business, healthcare, education and public service. But this crisis has demonstrated that the digital divide exacerbates economic inequality. Affordable access to communication is now of such value as a social and economic enabler that strategies are needed that embrace all levels of society and all regions.
Could initiatives like the first Africa50 Innovation Challenge have a meaningful impact?
Policies for promoting digital infrastructure, based on market competition, private sector investment, and independent regulation, have been effective to some extent. But we have also seen open markets underperform and underinvestment in rural and remote areas and in markets that may appear as less lucrative. But the social costs of remaining unserved are high and growing.
Initiatives such as the Africa50 Innovation Challenge that focuses on the last mile are therefore most welcome. For such an initiative to have meaningful impact will be subject to its successful implementation. Strong partnership with the governments and national stakeholders will be critical success factors. I look forward to the success of the pilot in Rwanda.
Paula Ingabire Minister of ICT & Innovation, Rwanda How important is the development of ICT infrastructure in becoming a knowledge-based economy?
The country has heavily invested in digital infrastructure that has translated to 62.5% internet penetration and connectivity coverage at 97.44%. Thanks to these investments, digitisation of services has been made possible. Dedicated interventions are underway to build the necessary digital literacy skills, whilst designing instruments that will enable affordability and accessibility of smart devices.
Rwanda has earned a reputation for innovation within the ICT and healthcare space. How has this impacted the response to Covid-19?
The use of technology and innovation contributed heavily in the containment of the pandemic. From the increased use of remote working tools to zero-rating digital platforms that complement traditional learning approaches or local trade, and more specifically leveraging a mix of digital solutions to complement traditional healthcare response interventions.
E-commerce platforms ranging from sourcing, logistics and delivery as well as digital payment solutions experienced a huge uptake. We saw a sevenfold increase in digital payment transactions in a period of three months. Effective communication was another critical aspect of the government’s strategy. We leveraged various digital platforms to disseminate information to the public.