MENU

digital
Tag Archive

Realizing the digital potential of Africa requires a regional data governance framework

13 May 2022 Comments (0) Politics

There is an urgent need for a data governance framework across the region that is supported by robust, empowered institutions which can support development and allow for entrepeneurship to flourish, offering huge possibilities for the African continent.

Rapid digital growth could drive big developments in Africa 

Rapid digitization offers huge possibilities for the African continent, galvanizing regional developments like free trade areas and structural transformations that in turn promise economic and social growth. Moreover, with the pandemic proving that digital access is a necessity for all, creating secure, reliable digital infrastructure should be a priority for everyone. But while African countries have benefited from technological uptake across health care and economic sectors, there is a large digital gap, and threats ranging from digital monopolies, to lack of electricity, to inefficient regulation could slow this digital revolution. Implementing a data governance framework for the entirety of the continent is therefore a crucial next step.

A regional approach to data governance

A data governance framework is the collection of rules and processes that ensure privacy and compliance with enterprise data management in a country or region. With rising cybercrime, ransomware attacks, and identity theft, ensuring that all organizations and governments are following an established set of rules will offer safety to consumers and encourage confidence for entrepreneurs. There are two broad sets of laws:

  • Safeguard laws are the most well-known. These are laws focused on data protection and privacy, and in 2021 some 52% of African countries had enacted at least one form of data protection legislation.
  • Enabler laws are less commonly known. The idea of enabler laws is to support development outcomes, and policymakers in Africa should scale-up efforts on this type of policy. Investment into information technology infrastructure, improving technical skills in the region, and standardizing regulations particularly around e-commerce and financial transactions allows businesses to take advantage of digital opportunities.

While national efforts are ongoing, the data policy environment in Africa as a whole remains fragmented. Currently only eight African countries have ratified the Malabo Convention, a regional approach to data protection and cybercrime, and only six are participating in the World Trade Organization’s e-commerce negotiations to set up new global trading rules for e-commerce and digital trade.

Rapid growth constrained by infrastructure struggles

Before the continent can properly realize any kind of digital transformation, it must resolve a connectivity problem. In 2017 only 22% of the population had access to the internet, barring most of the continent from e-commerce and other new services. This holds back both startups, who struggle to attract funding, and established businesses who are slow to adopt digital technologies due to a lack of customers benefiting. While the ICT and mobile sectors have grown since then, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic started, millions in Africa still lack basic connectivity. In response to this, there are two main options being pursued:

  • Increasing sovereign debt to pay for new infrastructure, much of it Chinese-supplied. This strategy carries with it numerous other challenges, not least of which is transparency and corruption surrounding such deals, but also the predatory nature of many of the agreements.
  • Allowing the private sector to flourish by establishing the regulatory conditions in which it can grow. Too often in Africa the success stories of entrepreneurs are in spite of government interference, rather than as a result of it. African businesses have become well-practiced at circumventing government obstacles, rather than capitalizing on government policies.

A united, regional approach focusing on ‘enabler laws’ would help with this problem, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents a key stepping stone towards a regional data governance and infrastructure policy that could start to change this environment.

From cybercrime to monopolies to offshoring

Even though infrastructure problems are slowly being resolved, a true, effective, regional data governance framework is important for promoting productive and inclusive growth on the continent. In order to ensure that technology complements and does not substitute workers, the digital literacy of Africa’s workforce needs to be increased, both in terms of hard and soft skills. This will help promote job opportunities, rather than replacing jobs with offshore jobs or automation.

There is also the threat from private businesses themselves. The current platform-based business model that dominates in the digital sector encourages a winner-takes-all, monopolistic paradigm which is especially harmful to developing economies. Still, leaving the solution with governments raises questions about data protection and citizen privacy. In both cases, it leads to high prices, poor quality of services, and potentially includes privacy violations for the customers and service users.

The intersection of all of these threats significantly affects the potential positive impacts of digitization on the African continent. There is an urgent need for a data governance framework across the region that is supported by robust, empowered institutions. This can foster a fair and competitive ICT market on the continent, promoting sustainable and productive growth.

Photos : cigionline.org – data4sdgs.org

 

Read more

Google Helps African Startups to Grow and Thrive

13 June 2020 Comments (0) Business, Featured

Helping Startups

Startups can find the first stages of development very challenging. While many people tend to think of funding and investment as being the main hurdle, there are also other challenges that can make or break a new business. Google’s new Startups Accelerator: Sustainable Development Goals program aims to fill those gaps, help startups meet challenges head-on, and to do so while meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals which include inequality, poverty, climate issues, environmental concerns, increasing prosperity, and ensuring peace and justice. 

The programme, new for 2020, is aimed at technology startups in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. The aim is to provide those startups with the expert advice and help Google can provide in order to allow the startup to thrive and build solid companies that can have a social impact. 

On offer are a number of ways in which Google mentors – and some external experts – can assist the business. These include help with technology, advice on design and branding, product development, how to attract funding, and training in leadership skills. 

With 1,200 applications received, only 11 startups were chosen to be part of the first programme, and three of them were from Africa. So who were they? And what will they bring, not only to the Google table, but to the communities they operate in.

Flare – Uber for Ambulances

Aimed mainly at the healthcare sector (though they do also work with fire services), Kenya’s Flare is an innovative app that serves both customers and providers. For customers, it has been described as the medical version of Uber, allowing them to see the closest, or best, options when it comes to medical assistance or ambulances. Founded by Caitlin Dolkart and Maria Rabinovich, who have many years of experience in the medical sector between them, they see Flare as the next-generation 911. 

The 24/7 service aims to have assistance to the client within 15 minutes. And if it does not arrive within 30 minutes, the company will refund your annual membership fee. The service will also allow hospitals and ambulance services to work closer together and for ambulances to update their destination hospital on arrival times and patients’ conditions. 

Solar Freeze – Helping Small Farmers Increase Productivity 

A major issue facing African farmers, particularly smallholders, is the lack of reliable old chain storage and transportation. In fact, an average of 45% of harvested crops can spoil in developing nations due to the lack of these services. Solar Freeze, another Kenya-based startup, aims to reduce that figure and help low level farmers across Kenya increase their output to market and their prosperity. 

With a diverse team of 11 Kenyans, and with an average age of 27 years old, they have produced a solution for the farmers that does not require internet access and runs simply on USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data). Using their service, farmers can access various logistics services as well as portable solar-powered cold storage services that may eradicate any losses after harvesting crops. 

mDoc – Digital Healthcare for Sub-Saharan Africa 

The third African startup joining the programme is Nigeria’s mDoc. mDoc was founded to address the issue of people in sub-Saharan Africa not being able to always access the health services they need. With some 80% of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) occurring in low and middle income countries, this can be a very real issue that causes widespread distress. 

mDoc aims to address these issues by providing both mobile and web-based platforms that people living with chronic diseases can access on a 24/7 basis in order to get care and medical support from a network of providers. They also aim to assist doctors and other medical services to access the patients themselves to offer education on a range of related issues as well as being able to give those patients a self-management toolbox to help with any medical conditions. 

Founded by L. Nneka Mobisaon and Imo Utek, the startup believes that by bringing healthcare and technology together, they can improve the lives of many in the region and also help to develop the full potential of countries and people. 

Looking to the Future, Encouraging Growth

Time and time again, we have seen that technology and innovation can be two of the biggest tools in helping propel Africa forward. By harnessing technology at different levels that can be accessible to rural populations – such as mobile apps and USSD – companies can overcome the oft cited issue of lack of access to internet connectivity. 

Hopefully, Google’s first round of their Startup Accelerator Programme will prove to be a major success and will lead to increasing numbers of new businesses being supported in future years. By including the U.N.’s sustainable goals in their programme, they also ensure that companies aiming for positive social impacts will receive the support they need and deserve.

Photos : techstartups.com and lelab.info and techawkng.com

Read more

Digital Finance needs to be a top priority for African Growth in 2018

20 July 2018 Comments (0) Africa

digital finance

In an annual report released by the Africa Growth Initiative, there is a call for African nations to embrace digital technology as one of the major priorities for 2018. The report, entitled “Foresight Africa: Top priorities for the continent in 2018”, identified six priorities for the continent to capitalize on new technologies that would have the potential to bring more economic prosperity at every level of civil society. Technology-based solutions to long-entrenched problems are believed to be the catalyst the continent needs in order to strengthen its institutions and improve its standing on the global stage.

The Africa Growth Initiative was created in 2011 by the American think-tank The Brookings Institution. The Foresight Africa project is a series of reports, commentaries and events that aim to help policymakers and Africa watchers stay ahead of the trends and developments impacting the continent. Since 2011, the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative has used the occasion of the new year to assess Africa’s top priorities for the year.

Education and agriculture could develop more innovative solutions

This year, a particular focus was placed on “harnessing Africa’s digital potential.” By focusing on technology and digitization, countries are better able to shift their economic structures and transform both the labor market and public services. Entrepreneurs with sustainable business models would benefit from opportunities for financial inclusion, easier retail payments, and improvements in administrative services. Other sectors such as education and agriculture could develop more innovative solutions as a result of improved access to key information such as market feasibility.

One of the biggest areas of opportunity is in mobile payment technology. Given that an estimated 50% of the world’s population is considered “underbanked” or “unbanked”, the development of such technology in the early 2000s gave thousands of people access to a formal banking system in societies that were to-date highly cash-based. On the African continent, the success of the mobile phone-based money transfer system M-Pesa has helped African economies save billions of dollars. M-Pesa made it easy for its users to deposit, withdraw, and transfer money without needing to visit a bank or carry a large amount of cash. For low-income people, especially women, it became easier to borrow and save money.

Public and private investors attracted

Mobile payment technology in development has attracted both public and private investors who see its potential to improve the efficiency of government institutions and private operations, saving money while increasing the volume of business. It has allowed for innovation in other areas: M-Akiba allows for people to invest in bonds issued by the Kenyan government; M-KOPA makes it easy for people to acquire solar power; M-TIBA helps people set money aside for health expenses; and the One Acre Fund invests in small farmers and facilitates the acquisition of seed and fertilizer, training, and loans.

By moving towards digitization, some of Africa’s most intractable problems could be addressed, including corruption, administrative break-downs, and the diversion of public money that has choked the public sector. Rather, the Africa Growth Initiative pushes the public to move towards democratizing access to public services (taxes, commerce, transportation) by shifting the operations online.

Read more