DIGITAL DIVIDE
DIANNA GAMES: Africa slow to map out plans for brave new world
Scenario planners and technology buffs constantly remind us about the new world that is coming; a world in which traditional sectors and jobs will be replaced by a myriad new products, business trends and jobs that don’t yet exist. It is unusual to attend a business event in Africa where discussions about technology disruption and innovation are not on the menu. The enduring question is where Africa fits in. A continent with high levels of unemployment, low skills, poor education, large rural populations with little infrastructure and little capacity to develop existing natural capital would seem to be a long way from this glossy new world, labelled the fourth industrial revolution by the World Economic Forum. Some say Africa is still stuck in the second industrial revolution, with governments prioritising industrial programmes and skills that will be transformed, and even marginalised, by technology trends. While African oil producers continue to rely on oil sales to buoy their eco...
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