Welcome, tech enthusiasts and digital innovators! Imagine stepping into a vibrant hub where Africa’s brightest minds converge to shape the continent’s digital destiny. That’s precisely what the Connected Africa Summit 2024 was all about. From April 21st to 25th, Nairobi, Kenya, became the epicentre of discussions, collaborations, and transformative initiatives aimed at propelling Africa into a digitally empowered future.

This blog post isn’t just a recap; it’s your personal guide to understanding the key themes, actionable insights, and practical takeaways from the summit. Think of it as chatting with a friend who’s passionate about technology and its potential to transform lives. So, grab a cup of tea, settle in, and let’s explore the exciting world of Africa’s digital revolution together.

Forging a Transformative Path: The Summit’s Core Objectives

The Connected Africa Summit 2024 wasn’t just another tech conference; it was a strategic platform designed to elevate discussions and drive tangible change. The primary ambition? To lay a sustainable foundation of connectivity and empower the people of Africa to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

But what does this actually mean? It means fostering collaboration and innovation to address the unique challenges and opportunities within Africa’s digital landscape. It means recognizing that technology isn’t just about flashy gadgets; it’s about solving real problems and helping real people.

Key Objectives:

• Continental Collaboration: Elevating discussions to a continental level, fostering a unified approach to ICT development.
• Tech Roadmap: Creating a clear technology roadmap to guide Africa’s digital transformation.
• Sustainable Development: Empowering Africans to achieve the UN SDGs and AU Agenda 2063 through technology.
• Investment and Policy: Attracting ICT investments while safeguarding local talent and innovation.

Digital Signatures and Online Security

In today’s digital age, trust and security are paramount, especially when it comes to online transactions and government services. Kenya is leading the way in the region by onboarding 80% of its government services online. To ensure the safety and security of its citizens, the ICT Authority is implementing digital signatures and certificates.

Digital signatures act as electronic stamps, verifying the authenticity of digital documents and transactions. They ensure that a document hasn’t been tampered with and originates from the intended sender. This is achieved through encryption keys, creating unique codes that are difficult to fake or replicate.

Benefits of Digital Signatures:

• Enhanced Security: Guarantees the authenticity and integrity of digital documents.
• Efficiency: Streamlines processes by enabling electronic signatures, saving time and costs.
• Revolutionizes Sectors: Facilitates secure online transactions for citizens and businesses.

Nokia’s Transformation: Connecting People and Technology

Nokia has evolved from merely connecting people to creating technology that helps the world act together. Their vision focuses on tech leadership, dynamism, and innovation, symbolized by a new logo that represents the harmonious collaboration of various elements. Nokia aims to drive transformation by reaching previously untouched areas and industries, demanding a shift beyond mere change.

Connectivity and Infrastructure: The Digital Super Highway

A key focus of government strategy is building a digital super highway across the country and making it accessible to everyone. The government has completed 25,000 km of fiber, including 12,000 km of national optic fiber network backbone infrastructure (NOFBI), while the private sector has built around 35,000 km of fiber. The national optical fiber backbone initiative has connected 1,650 ministries, counties, departments, and agencies nationwide. More than 100 hospitals have been connected, and a national telemedicine initiative led by Kenyatta National Hospital has been piloted with support from Huawei and other partners.

The digital super highway programme has five key components to enhance connectivity across the country:

• The digital super highway shall install an additional 100,000 km of reliable, stable, and affordable high-speed internet connectivity across the country. This will connect 8.5 million homes, 40,000 learning institutions, 13,000 public health institutions, 18,000 government offices, as well as police stations, huduma centers, and technical institutes.
• The digital super highway will provide free public Wi-Fi in 25,000 locations across the country to ensure access to ICT and close the digital divide. This aligns with the government’s bottom-up economic transformation agenda to enhance regional integration.
• Kenya aims to become a regional and global ICT hub, exporting technology and software, and becoming a powerhouse in data storage and cyber security.
• Establish 1,450 digital village smart hubs in every ward for Kenyans to use to innovate, work online, and trade online.
• Expand mobile network penetration that is 4G and 5G coverage across the country and leverage new technologies such as AI, blockchain, and Big Data.

The Coral Mini App: Streamlining Marine Cargo Insurance

Imagine clearing agents and importers effortlessly purchasing cargo insurance directly from their phones. The Coral mini app on the Mesa app makes this a reality, allowing users to compare quotes, pay for marine cargo insurance, and view certificates 24/7.

How it Works:

1. Clearing agents opt-in via the Mesa app, entering their company and individual KRA pins, and work email.
2. Users select the IDF for the cargo they wish to insure.
3. They choose an insurance quote from a preferred insurer or select a different one.
4. Payment is made via M-Pesa, or a payment request is sent to the customer.
5. The marine cargo insurance certificate and policy document are instantly emailed, and the certificate can be viewed within the app.

Africa’s Economic Growth Potential: The Role of Technology

Africa is a continent brimming with economic growth potential, and technology is the key to unlocking that prosperity. The Connected Africa Summit 2024 emphasized that every business is becoming a tech business, highlighting the importance of addressing real problems with innovative solutions.

Hapi’s Real Data Fabric: Streamlining Data Management

Hapi, a leading European online business network, faced challenges with rapid data growth and scaling analytics. Traditional solutions couldn’t keep pace with the demands of real-time data integration and advanced analytics. Hapi’s real data fabric provided the stability, security, and scalability needed, enabling real-time data integration and self-service access to raw data.

Benefits of Hapi’s Real Data Fabric:

• Improved Efficiency: Reduced data management and administration time from 30% to less than 10%.
• New Business Opportunities: Enabled instant insights from raw data, opening up new avenues for business.
• Global Visibility: Eliminated confusion in accessing data and provided global visibility for data science teams.

ICT Competition: Fostering Creativity and Digital Skills

The ICT competition is an important initiative that generates awareness about ICTs and their importance. It encourages students to develop creativity and digital skills, which are crucial in today’s digital age.

The Power of Inclusion: Reimagining How People Come Together

Inclusion is progress, and it requires reimagining how people come together, changing systems, tearing down barriers, and respecting each other’s identities. Using technology to create more opportunities and empower a more inclusive future for everyone is essential for Africa to become a truly digital powerhouse. Kenya has set a good example by removing the requirement for 30% local ownership for ICT companies, attracting more investments into the country. This conversation must be held at a continental level to avoid the exploitation of local talent by foreign entities.

Supporting Local Innovators: Policies and Innovation Funds

To prevent local innovators from selling their solutions for next to nothing to foreign investors, it’s crucial to establish policies and mechanisms that support them. Innovation funds, pooling resources from various agencies, development partners, and the private sector, can provide the necessary support for innovators to scale their businesses.

Emerging Issues: Covid-19 and Global Supply Chains

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted emerging issues, particularly its impact on global supply chains. Positioning Kenya and the continent as contributors to global supply chains is crucial for future resilience.

Manufacturing and the Green Economy

Manufacturing and the green and circular economy are key focus areas. Discussions revolve around employing smart factories and investing in a sustainable tomorrow, transforming and accelerating manufacturing within AI. Connected Industries through industrial intelligence and building hardware from scratch are also important topics. These initiatives aim to advance sustainable manufacturing practices, foster innovation, and reduce the impact on the environment. Promoting circular economy principles throughout the manufacturing process is also a priority.

• Smart Factories: Integrate advanced technologies like AI and IoT to optimize production processes.
• Green Manufacturing: Focus on reducing environmental impact through resource efficiency and sustainable practices.
• Circular Economy: Emphasize reusing, repurposing, and recycling materials to minimize waste.

Renewable Energy and Efficiency

For rural connectivity and ICT service projects, the trend is shifting towards solar power as an alternative to diesel generators. Technologies like AI can optimize the use of solar, diesel generators, and hydropower to minimize environmental impact. Smart rectifiers can automatically switch between power sources based on availability, reducing reliance on diesel generators.

5G Technology and Localized Networks

The rollout of 5G technology, starting with pilot projects in larger cities, presents a good use case. The beauty of 5G is its ability to be localized with private networks, making it more accessible and manageable for manufacturing and other industries.

Collaboration Between Government, Academia, and Private Sector

Partnerships between government, academia, and the private sector are essential for addressing challenges and driving innovation. By bringing these three players together, especially with the inclusion of young people from academia, a wealth of talent and ideas can be harvested.

Frameworks for a Green Economy

Developing policies around the circular economy and green manufacturing is crucial, keeping in mind the need to address access and affordability across the value chain. Frameworks should align with the AU Agenda 2063, enabling all countries to work towards the same goals while localizing implementation at a country level.

The Role of AI and Technology in Manufacturing

AI and technology can significantly impact manufacturing by providing the right knowledge for specific industries. AI can mimic expertise and transport it to different countries, reducing the need for experts on-site. Connectivity and spectrum of communication can be enhanced by using electrical lines for both energy distribution and internet connectivity, creating more community centres focused on education and digital skills.

Challenges in Manufacturing

Despite the potential for Africa to manufacture for the world, there are challenges such as the high cost of power and internet, making the overall cost of production unmanageable.

Key Principles of a Circular Economy

Key principles of a circular economy differ from traditional linear manufacturing models.

• Linear Model: A traditional approach of “take, make, dispose,” which is not sustainable in the long term.
• Circular Economy: Aims to minimise waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use, and regenerate natural systems.

Automation and its Impact

Automation and its impact is crucial to address. There’s more of an affordability challenge in terms of access to connectivity than an infrastructure challenge. Statistics show a usage gap, meaning that even in areas with connectivity, many don’t have the devices to access it. This presents an opportunity to manufacture low-cost, high-quality devices and provide training on in-demand digital skills. Online and self-paced learning can drive skill development, and industry partners can offer relevant courses.

Overcoming Challenges

To address the challenges, it is important to:

• Localize Chipsets: Reduce reliance on global politics and ensure data is analyzed within the continent.
• Optimize Processes: Improve energy efficiency, logistics, and raw material availability.
• Policy Framework: Implement government support for importing raw materials and free movement of manufactured goods within the East Africa community.

The Role of AI Regulation

AI regulation is an emerging area with the EU AI Act setting a global standard. The act categorizes AI systems based on risk, with strict compliance requirements for high-risk systems.

AI Risk Categories:

• Prohibited AI Systems: Those that pose unacceptable risks.
• High-Risk AI Systems: Systems used in critical applications.
• Limited Risk AI Systems: Systems with minimal risk.
• Minimal Risk AI Systems: Systems with very low risk.

Compliance Requirements

The EU AI Act has key compliance requirements.

• Risk management and quality management system.
• Data governance.
• Policies and transparency information to deployers.
• Technical documentation.
• Accuracy, robustness, and cyber security.
• Human oversight requirement.
• Feedback loop.

Kenya’s Draft AI Code of Practice

Kenya is proactively addressing AI governance with a draft AI code of practice (dks 30007 2024). The code contains requirements for AI, including risk management, robust testing, continuous monitoring, explainability, and ethical frameworks.

Digital Economic Acceleration through Public-Private Collaboration

Digital economic acceleration requires digital infrastructure services, digital government services, and digital skills.

• Digital Infrastructure Services: Increase internet speed for individuals, industries, and governments.
• Digital Government Services: Digitise government services to make them accessible to everyone.
• Digital Skills: Equip young Africans with the skills to compete in the domestic market.

Africa Cloud

The concept of an Africa Cloud is an important discussion. Should there be a cloud for every country, or a unified cloud for Africa, leveraging technology investments and assets across the continent? Security guarantees are essential for any cloud deployment.

Sustainable Manufacturing Practices

During the summit, there was strong focus was placed on the importance of fostering sustainable manufacturing practices on the continent. This is an effort geared towards ensuring green initiatives that will ensure the safety of the environment are adhered to.

E-waste Management in Africa

The issue of electronic waste (e-waste) management in Africa was also a key discussion point, recognising both the challenges and opportunities associated with it.

• Africa faces significant challenges related to the handling and disposal of used electronics due to inadequate infrastructure and regulatory environments.
• E-waste can be viewed as a digital asset with opportunities for the private sector and the green economy.

Key Discussion Areas

The discussions during the summit, centered on addressing the challenges and capitalising on the opportunities associated with electronic waste management across the continent.

• Challenges
  • Inadequate Infrastructure
  • Regulatory Environment
• Opportunities
  • Private Sector
  • Emerging Green Economy

Digital Connectivity in Somalia

Somalia has a strong private sector in telecom and mobile network operations. There are more than four land stations International submarine cables landed in Somalia. The first cable came in 2014, which was the eastern African submarine cable (EASSy cable). There is another cable which is a gulf to Africa landed in another two major cities. There is also a d cable that is connecting to the cities to jibuti and eventually to Mombasa Kenya. A more cable is waiting to come in the end of the 2025 which will faster to the connectivity landscape in Somalia.

Digital Economy for Africa Initiative

The World Bank has been partnering with the African Union on the digital economy for Africa initiative. The objective is to ensure that every individual, every business, every government is connected and is digitally enabled by 2030. The World Bank is focusing on what matters most, selecting indicators to track progress, such as the number of people using the internet and digital-enabled services.

Inclusive Digitization for Southern and Eastern Africa

The World Bank will be launching an inclusive digitization program for Southern and Eastern Africa, aiming to bring online 200 million new users, provide 150 million people with a digital ID, and increase the number of users of digitally enabled services by 100 million. This program would have around 15 countries joining and wants to leverage resources from partners and from the private sector.

Reliable and Affordable Connectivity

Reliable and affordable connectivity is crucial. Regulatory and policy frameworks need to be conducive for companies to invest and get a return on investment. The role of government is to lower the cost of doing business to incentivise investments.

Digital Skills

When talking digital, skills must be worked on so the solutions will be able to ride in this infrastructure that is being built. There must be a common approach in terms of developing our strategies, and the strategy to bring this connectivity down to the mainland so that Africa is well connected.

Closing the Digital Gender Gap

It’s important to tackle the digital gender gap. The public sector has a responsibility to ensure that this happens. Programmes should identify the gaps and design specific actions to address them.

Equitable Access to Technology

Equitable access to technology and opportunities is important. To ensure financial and economic activities are up to par. There must be collaborative approaches between private sector investors and the public sector, leveraging existing infrastructure and co-designing digital solutions. In addition, Government should reduce the cost of licenses for the infrastructure companies to reach the under safer areas.

Conclusion: Embracing the Digital Revolution

The Connected Africa Summit 2024 was a resounding call to action. Africa stands at the cusp of a digital revolution, brimming with potential and opportunities. By fostering collaboration, promoting innovation, and addressing key challenges head-on, Africa can pave the way for a digitally empowered future. Remember, this isn’t just about technology; it’s about people, purpose, and the transformative power of connection.

As we conclude, let’s carry forward the key message from the summit and ensure that there is an investment in digital skills, a digital infrastructure that will, in the long run, enable Africa to achieve both economic and environmental sustainability.