By Leona Mentz – Developments over the past year have contributed to an increased global focus on enabling a more connected society.
The normalisation of distributed work, the associated growth of cloud computing, and an increased reliance on affordable and reliable high speed Internet access mean the digital society has reached a tipping point. Africa is well positioned to benefit from this and use it to change the lives of its citizens.
Already, the continent has been learning from global markets to invest in digital transformation strategies that can empower real and positive change. Digital literacy, improved healthcare, and access to even the most basic of needs are becoming possible through technological innovation across Africa. Telecommunications on the continent can transform the lives of millions.
Skills development
Take the skills shortage as an example. While not unique to Africa, lockdown conditions have exacerbated the need to change and reskill employees to become more digitally enabled. Many companies, regardless of their efforts to transform digitally, do not yet possess the right skills to leverage the latest innovations in the cloud, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics effectively.
Universities, businesses, and industry experts must join forces to ensure that the technology skills needed for the future are being incorporated into education programmes. Digital skills are critical to the growth and survival of economies, however fixing the digital and technology skills shortage requires effort from public and private entities.
The growth of e-learning initiatives in recent times has illustrated how the internet becomes a critical enabler in this regard. When students cannot physically attend lectures, it is the virtual classrooms that will be instrumental in affecting meaningful change.
Sustainable living
More than education, connectivity has highlighted how remote working is not only possible but has become part of the status quo. People can work from anywhere if they have a reliable Internet connection in place. This greatly reduces the amount of travelling time, and per implication, the carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
The shift to more sustainable operations has come under the spotlight thanks to the pandemic. By not requiring employees (and even customers) to engage face-to-face over a table, not only does traffic become less of an issue, but people can optimise their time and greatly benefit the environment while doing so.
Being smart
Many governments, South Africa’s included, have highlighted the need to embrace smart cities. The Internet becomes the foundation on which these are built. Transforming major cities into smart ones require the combination of mobile and fixed-line technologies that can have a powerful impact on job creation and community development.
The use of machine-to-machine computing thanks to the Internet of Things, social media, and cloud computing open new digital possibilities for smart cities and governments alike. These centre on service delivery and driving social change for the betterment of society.
Of course, a smart city is about more than an intelligent network, reliable connectivity, or clever applications. These are all critical to the operations, but it is the data that can be mined from the various connection touch points and devices that hold the greatest prospects for a futureproof smart city.
The rate at which digital transformation has happened over the past 12-months is faster than what any organisations has experienced over the past 12-years. Thanks to the evolution of the Internet and the related technologies, this now creates the perfect opportunity to grow and adapt to a future connected society.
Leona Mentz is the regional operations manager: Asia, Middle East, and Africa at BT