Welcome to this post on Mobile and Digital Technology in Africa, via Afrokonnect. The power of mobile technology is one which must not be overlooked. The African continent is one which has studied the trajectory and started massive implementation.
The tech sector has greatly improved the continent in various sectors from education, communication to health and security. Several nations on the African continent have started to adopt technology massively and they have started to see results with massive growth in their various economies.
The tech sector was crucial to the rapid response the continent gave during the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the massive deployment of tech, the continent was able to record the lowest fatality rate in the world. Africa has been experiencing a massive economic revolution since the early 2000s. The continent has been integrating various parts of the economy with technology. Various analysts and experts have stated that this revolution is crucial to Africa’s growth on the global stage.
The digital evolution by the African continent has been described by many as one of the most interesting ones the world have seen. This revolution can be seen as the penetration rate of mobile telephony has increased from its initial 5% in 2003 to 73% in 2014. Note: The African continent has over 650 million phone holders which is larger than the US and Europe combined.
Integration of Technology to Various Sectors in Africa
1) Tech and Healthcare:
The African continent is known for its lack of good infrastructure when it comes to healthcare. Various countries in Africa top the list of countries with poor health infrastructure in the world.
The integration of digital technology to the healthcare sector has impacted the continent positively. The integration has helped the continent massively especially those in the rural areas.
The rural areas are known not to have access to healthcare due to the far distance but that has all changed with the inclusion of digital technology. Online healthcare platforms have been enabled on mobile devices. Mobile phones users can now contact medical specialists from anywhere in the world. The integration of technology to the health sector can only be achieved with proper network connectivity.
2) Tech and Education:
The Integration of mobile technology to the education sector has helped in reducing a menace. Africa boasts of top spot when it comes to least educated population in the world. The Sub-Saharan sector has only 40% of its youthful population in schools. Experts have analyzed the situation and stated that the availability of schools is a major problem when addressing the situation.
Various organizations have initiated projects which is aimed at providing children with enough resources to engage in online education. Several countries such as Kenya, Ghana and South Africa have started providing children with laptops to engage in online education.
The inclusion of tech in education has also help to diversify the sector. Students can now engage in online classes and teachers can now access their teaching materials easily. The Covid-19 pandemic caused a lot of disadvantages to the education sector. It also brought a lot of benefits – the major one being Online Education.
3) Tech and the Covid-19 Pandemic:
The Covid-19 pandemic was the biggest pandemic for the past 5 centuries as it crippled the entire world’s economy to its knees. It changed the world has we saw it and brought a lot of restrictions.
The immediate inclusion of technology to combat the pandemic was very effective. Technology helped us to combat the pandemic as it helped to create awareness and pass vital information.
Technology also helped to ensure that we participated in some of our daily activities. Movement was restricted so how did we purchase our needs? Technology helped modernized the dispatch sector as people were able to order their needs from their home and have them delivered ASAP. The government also used technology to relate with their citizens and brief them on the situation of things regularly.
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Top 3 Technological Advanced Countries in Africa
The world is advancing at a fast pace when it comes to technology with America, Europe and Asia. It is up to our continent (Africa) to ensure that they don’t get left behind. There are some countries in Africa that are taking the necessary steps to ensure that they don’t get left behind. These countries are determined to rival with top countries in the global technological sector in the future, they are:
1) South Africa:
South Africa is the biggest country in Africa when it comes to technological advancement. They are ranked 63rd in the world with a score of 34.04%. Experts have stated that the country can’t be compared with other countries when it comes to technological advancement. The country gives room for human capital development which leaves room for progress in the tech sector. PayPal, Multichoice (DSTV & GOTV), Linux and SASOL are some of the enterprises which have links to South Africa. These have shown that the government is open to technological innovation hence their success globally.
2) Kenya:
Kenya’s inclusion to the list can’t be argued as they are one of the top technological advanced countries in Africa. Kenya is ranked 77th in the world with a score of 31.13%. The country is experiencing an upward trend in the number of startups. This is evident because of the government’s willingness to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurs.
Kenya has witnessed a lot of inventions from charging shoes to solar-powered freezers to aid rural areas. The country has been seen by various experts as the most effective country to establish a startup. The country is also the heart of major vaccines that are produced in Africa with highly equipped labs in place.
3) Mauritius:
Mauritius is an island republic located in Africa but that doesn’t hinder the country one bit. The country is ranked 82nd in the world with a score of 30.61% to its name. The country has a relatively peaceful and democratic climate accompanied with serious economic strength. These factors have aided the country to focus effectively in increasing its investment in innovation and technology. The country is also the home of the African Network Information Center (AFRINIC). They also hosted the 2016/2017 Google Code-in which is remarkable for a country of its size.
Conclusion
Mobile and digital technology have massively changed the African economy. It has helped in aiding economic growth and fostering innovation. Mobile and digital technology in Africa has improved various sectors such as education, healthcare and entrepreneurship.
Africans must ensure that they view a lack of technology as a danger to the security of their country’s economy. The future of Africa is here and we must ensure that there is a growth in Mobile and Digital Technology in Africa. Thanks for reading and I hope to see another time on Afrokonnect.ng.
