“To inspire people, don’t show them your super powers. Show them theirs -” Alexander den Heijer. Africa Tech Week advocates are setting out to do just that. The event is the golden opportunity to showcase what’s hot in tech on the African continent – a platform to demonstrate to the rest of the world Africa’s super powers. Welcome to the ‘new frontier,’ Africa Tech Week, created in Africa, for Africans, by Africans. The event is taking place on the 5th and 6th of May, and we are expecting an excess of 3000 attendees.
Everyone is aware that Africa has faced challenges, and it is together that we can solve them. Africa is a hotbed of potential in terms of measuring and testing concepts and ideas. What we lack in capital, we make up for in passion, resilience and a ‘can do’ attitude. Africa Tech Week is a gateway to digital evolution on the continent and an ideal environment to ignite conversation about women in tech, cybersecurity, AI, 5G and cloudification. It’s a space where fruitful and lasting connections will be forged, and the expansion of knowledge, expertise, and perspective will take place.
The Results Speak for Themselves
The polling data from Africa Tech Week 2020 showed that out of the 904 registrants that attended the event, only 42.6% were confident in their ability to integrate multiple technologies into daily work tasks. When the attendees were asked “which resources are important for your business right now”, 32% selected the “information technology option.” When asked the question, “when investing in tech, which aspects motivate you more?” 43.1% said competitive edge. The 2020 Net Promoter Score for the event was 9.25.These results served as evidence for a strong business case to hold another conference with the purpose of unifying and benefitting big business, policy makers, academia and startups. The results also highlighted the need for an inclusive and a diverse tech ecosystem.
An Urgent Call to Heed Exponential Growth
Envisage Africa as a global economic powerhouse, seamlessly digitised after being recognised as the next big market and after being heavily invested in. In lieu of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) set to deliver a bounty of positive knock-on benefits for the continent, especially in terms of sustainable digital transformation, Africa will serve as an innovation hub for the rest of the world.
There is an urgency for African economies to respond swiftly to the ever-accelerating pace of digital transformation. This is your call to join the movement. The movement away from outdated practices, towards an equal, empowering digitised nirvana.
Having walked in your shoes, Topco has, for many years, been searching for the solutions to digitization. It was out of curiosity, frustration and the numerous challenges we had with technology, that Africa Tech Week was born. The good news is that Africa is already making great strides in embracing tech and has a talented and youthful population enthusiastic about following through.
The question one should be asking themselves is: “how can we, as a collective continent, accelerate investment in technology thereby catalyzing economic growth?” The answer will come alive in the discourse at Africa Tech Week, where individuals and organizations have the opportunity to combine their “brain power,” learn from one another’s failures and successes, and clear a path to prosperity. A thriving utopia, where equality, empowerment and education guide us.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, big business, policyholder, or startup, this is your call to unite. It is a chance for us fans of tech innovation and disruption to drive the narrative thereby inspiring the rest of the world about the abundant possibilities that exist on the continent. It is going to take each of us shining light on the good and great that is happening around tech in Africa to help propel the continent’s growth.
The Solution is in Collaboration
Africa Tech Week has partnered with Silicon Cape, Africa Teen Geeks, BPESA, the British Chamber of Commerce and many more to bring about an event that will catapult Africa into a sphere where a plethora of prospects are real and tangible. As the CEO of Topco Media, Ralf Fletcher has said, “we see our role as showcasing the exciting transformation that Africa is experiencing. With investments from organisations like Stripe into Nigeria demonstrating the massive opportunity and ability to scale on the continent, our purpose is to show how Africa is transforming the world.”
We, as a cohesive community of technovators can achieve this in our lifetime for the future of the generations that follow. Gijima, PPC, and Voxowave, as the proud sponsors of Africa Tech Week, have bought into this idea. Winners and finalists from last year’s event, and speakers from Google, Dr. Marian Croak, and Zoom, Abe Smith, stand alongside them, in vehement solidarity that without collaboration in the context of digital innovation, we are powerless. We see Africa Tech Week as a gateway to boosting digital momentum in Africa and a means of bringing African entities together for the benefit of the continent and globe.
Topco Media is one of South Africa’s leading business-to-business media houses, producing high profile, relevant conferences and awards. Our conferences include Africa Tech Week, Standard Bank Top Women, Top Empowerment, Future of HR, National Business Awards and Future of Sustainability. We also produce authoritative and informative business and investment publications such as Top 500, Top Empowerment, Nelson Mandela 100 years to name a few.
