Report: Fundamental Shift in Leadership Essential for Technology Advancement

The recent Accenture Technology Vision 2018 report has called for a fundamental shift in leadership position in Africa if the continent must achieve rapid advancement in technology that will boost African economies.

The report said that adopting artificial intelligence for growth and positive social impact means forming new partnerships with customers and business partners.

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies are accelerating the creation of intelligent enterprises and enabling companies to integrate themselves into people’s lives, the report said, while predicting key technology trends likely to disrupt business over the next three years.

This year’s report, “Intelligent Enterprise Unleashed: Redefine Your Company Based on the Company You Keep,” highlights how rapid advancements in technologies, including AI advanced analytics and the cloud, are enabling companies to not just create innovative products and services, but change the way people work and live. This, in turn, is changing companies’ relationships with their customers, employees and business partners.

As part of the Technology Vision, Accenture surveyed more than 6,300 business and Information Technology (IT) executives worldwide. More than four in five respondents, which is about 84 per cent, agreed that through technology, companies are weaving themselves seamlessly into the fabric of how people live today.

The report gave example of how Google, through its many applications and analytics capabilities, has integrated itself into people’s everyday lives thereby influencing their way of life. Google maps are used for journey management, references and suggestions on places, products and services of interest and through this, Google can shape people’s consumption behaviours. Also, feedback from users can influence uptake of suggestions from Google by other people.

Giving further details of the research report, Accenture Nigeria’s Managing Director of Technology, Niyi Tayo, said: “Technology is now firmly embedded throughout our everyday lives and is reshaping large parts of society.

“Just as cities developed around ports and then railroads, or people rebuilt their lives around electricity, the world today is reimagining itself around digital innovation, and by extension, the companies that provide those services. This requires a new type of relationship, built on trust and the sharing of large amounts of personal information in a secure manner.”