GTA identifies growth opportunities in African tech ecosystem

By Cynthia Ezekwe.

Africa has been projected to constitute 42 per cent of the global youth population in 2030. Industry players are confident that the continent’s human capital can become its greatest export and source of income if properly harnessed by leveraging technology and building its digital ecosystem.

This, among other opportunities in the technology ecosystem were recently discussed at a recent summit organised by  Global Tech Africa (GTA), a project involving critical stakeholders in Africa’s technology ecosystem which is committed to unlocking growth opportunities in the digital technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem for Nigeria and Africa at large.

The summit, held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, brought together over 300 prominent figures and stakeholders from the African and international tech communities to discuss and unlock growth opportunities for the tech ecosystem in Africa.

Emmanuel Tarfa, the GTA Summit host, who presented the welcome address, pointed out that the core objectives of GTA is to showcase Africa’s tech trend, foster tech and economic empowerment inclusion for women and girls, drive investment and partnerships, collaborate with academia and industry experts, alongside training and recruitment of talents.

Also speaking at the summit, William Nwankwo Alo, permanent secretary, ministry of communication and digital economy, in his keynote address stated that the Global Tech Africa Summit presents a pathway for embarking on a journey to explore the immense opportunities that lie at the intersection of innovation, technology, and human progress.

Alo, who was represented by Samuel Okoye, the director of information communication technology, said, “I understand that this is a pan-African summit, therefore our collective vision will be to harness technology’s power to uplift communities, improve healthcare, education, drive sustainable agriculture and foster innovation in all sectors of the economy.’’

The permanent secretary noted that the GTA summit serves as a catalyst to unlock growth   potentials and empower Africa in the digital  technology, and AI ecosystem.

“On our path, we will continue to provide a conducive environment with the requisite regulatory and institutional  framework anchored on solid sustainable vision. Our national digital economic policy and strategy provides a compass necessary  to navigate the dynamic nature of the terrain to create a sustainable digital future for all,’’ he added.

On his part,Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi, the director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), spoke on the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors in the technology space.

“Global Tech Africa Summit is a crucial step in our collective journey towards empowering the tech ecosystem in Africa. It provides an unparalleled platform for stakeholders to come together, share knowledge, and explore opportunities that will drive technological advancements in the region. We have the talent in Africa, and now we need the government and private investors to take a stake in tech talent empowerment through the Global Tech Africa platform,” he noted.

Abdullahi also stressed that GTA is an initiative to help Africa transform and ignite the flame of innovation that will illuminate its  paths towards creating a digital future in Africa, where technology is not only inclusive, but also accessible, and leaves no one behind.

He pointed out that the digital ecosystem needs five critical stakeholders, which includes the higher institutions that produce human capital, corporate organisations that absorbs these human capital, the entrepreneurs that can start and grow businesses, people that can invest in those innovative ideas, and the government whose role is to intervene in the area of policy making and infrastructure.

According to Abdullahi, the innovative ecosystem is valued at over $5 trillion and research has proven that countries with a strong innovative ecosystem create jobs at twice the rate of countries or regions with a weak innovative ecosystem.

Citing data by Statista, the NITDA DG noted that digitally transformed enterprises contributed $13.5 trillion to the global GDP in 2018 and  is projected to accelerate  to $53.3 trillion in 2023.

“That means that innovation is leading when it comes to wealth creation. This is what we are trying to build with Global Tech Africa,’’ he added.

Speaking on the significance of the Global Tech Africa Summit, Will Stevens, the U.S. Consul General in Lagos, Nigeria, said the project highlights the power of international collaboration and supports the growth of the African tech industry.

We believe that by coming together and sharing ideas, we can collectively address challenges and create a thriving tech environment in Africa.”

He also highlighted the significance of fostering strong ties for the tech industry between the U.S. and Africa.

Addressing newsmen at the sideline of the event, Inya Lawal, president of Ascend Studios Foundation and CEO of GTA  pointed out that Nigeria and Africa needs  to move forward in the area of trade and partnership as regards the digital ecosystem, and transform  from the era of grants and aid from advanced countries to the continent to the era trade and partnerships.

Speaking further, she said; “Currently, there is a focus on  ‘trade’ and not ‘aid’, because what we used to have was money being brought in as aid.  But now, we are saying that we are ready for trade and partnerships.

Nigeria has always been ready, but the deal is about bringing everyone together to build this ecosystem and that is what we aim to achieve with GTA.”

Business A.M gathered that the GTA project is an initiative of  Future Map Foundation designed and implemented by Ascend Studios Foundation in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, Venture Garden Group, Business Sweden and RivExcel Health, which is focused on fostering innovation, collaboration, and investment in the African tech Industry.