The frivolous manner in which the issue of industrial revolutions has been discussed in our society in recent times tends to trivialise the developmental challenges we face. It manifests as nothing more than an exercise in cheerful political camouflage.

While societies in the global north enjoy the practical fruits of technological advancement that World Economic Forum founder and renowned economist Klaus Schwab calls “the convergence of digital, biological, and physical innovations”, most parts of Africa are lagging behind...