For African telecoms, change is nothing new. But even for an industry in constant motion, the scale and pace of recent disruption has been unprecedented. We’ll explore how shifts in enterprise markets and consumer behaviour coupled with increasing investment and partnership are driving accelerated change, as operators diversify beyond connectivity to protect profit in a changing world.
Invest & partner: juggling network infrastructure investment with product innovation and regulatory constraints, and exploring opportunities of ISP & data centre acquisition
- New frontiers: monetization of data and disruptive tech like 5G & IoT; and the growth of media & entertainment, eCommerce, and fintech offerings as routes to protect profit
The chances are that if you’re interested in technology, you’ll have heard the term ‘Metaverse’ recently. The Metaverse, like much of the tech that enables it, remains at a nascent stage of development, but estimates have put its revenue potential at $800B by 2024. Many global tech brands are already betting big on the idea, and the dream of an immersive, business-ready 3D world is very much alive.
This session will look past the hype to explore real-world application of a new virtual universe for business and consumer; we’ll dive into how Africa aims to build its own unique space in the Metaverse, and how pioneers are leveraging new tech to make this vision a reality.
Beyond the buzz: what’s the everyday potential for African enterprise and consumer? Future of Work, social networks, live entertainment & gaming all present new ways of interacting
- Early adopters: looking at the continent’s first projects, like the digital marketplace Ubuntuland, and how pioneers can address challenges around safety, security, and computational capacity
- Status: Equiano made its first African landing in Togo in March 2022 - which other countries will be connected, and what major milestones remain for the project?
- Impact: what will terabit-sized capacity increases and faster fibre mean for enterprise, and can these benefits translate into more affordable home broadband for African consumers?
- Catalyst: can the cable help address the issue of poor fibre penetration in underserved nations inland? And what impact will this have on job creation, SMEs & economic growth?
Open Radio Access Network (RAN) technology has emerged as an exciting alternative route to secure, green, and cost-effective networks. Developed as a component-neutral alternative to traditional RANs that require telcos to work with single suppliers across mobile sites, the interoperability OpenRAN offers is an example of pure technological innovation.
This session will explore the current status of the technology on the continent, the potential benefits of efficient networks, and the hurdles to continent-wide adoption.
Status check: Unpacking current status of OpenRAN development on the continent, on-going feasibility trials, and timelines for operational roll-out & industry implementation
- African impact: Can optimised OpenRAN networks translate to better market access for smaller entrants & specialists, more cost-effective connectivity, and aid 5G rollout?
In the 5 years from 2017 to 2021, the continent’s smart home device market quadrupled from $339M to $1.31B, with research predicting this trend to continue with 10 billion smart devices in African homes by 2030. This session will explore the key drivers behind this boom, how enterprise and consumer can benefit, and what the trend means for connectivity and wider economic growth.
Smart, defined: ‘Smart’ now includes a wide range of devices - how are these delivering enhanced communication, security, energy management, and multimedia entertainment?
- Trend drivers: Better connectivity, younger, tech-friendly populations, and more disposable income have all fuelled uptake - can tackling adoption hurdles drive truly inclusive change?
What have we have learned on Open RAN and COTS/Container based SW in the Core too, in order to facilitate:
- Fast introduction to market of new service
- Elasticity in the infrastructures
- Lower the costs with CI/CD capabilities
- Automation as the ultimate goal for virtualization
It’s not difficult to see why Africa’s mobile money sector is the world’s most attractive - 548M accounts, >50% of global live services, and $13B of monthly transactions - but despite the impressive statistics, a greater potential remains untapped.
This session unpacks the struggle for the continent’s mobile money market as telcos diversify to add credit, insurance and digital platforms, and banks venture outside safer, lucrative traditional products to cater for enterprises and consumers demanding a place in the 4IR.
Telco vs Bank? telcos and banks are tapping established in-market players for intelligence, app dev, & data analytic expertise to facilitate market entry, can they also partner together?
- Policy: a regulatory environment that nurtures a competitive but fair playing field to ensure Africa continues to lead the world in mobile money innovation - there’s work to do
Since telecom market liberalisation throughout the 1980s, the sector has evolved at incredible pace in Africa. The role of telcos in enabling internet connectivity, driving service & product innovation, and fostering partnership gives it a unique role at the centre of Africa’s ICT ecosystems, a position which also makes Africa’s operators susceptible to changes across these linked industries.
This session explores opportunities for the continent’s operators as strategy continues to centre on diversification, data monetisation, and how impressive results through 2020 & 2021 indicate good progress in the evolution into the 2030 telco.
360⁰ service: developing a digital ‘one-stop-shop’ that provides consumer access to media, eCommerce, digital health and financial services while diversifying operator revenue streams
- Partnership: looking at how intelligent industry partnerships with government, MNOs, media, and lifestyle product providers can be a shortcut to market entry
The race to build a 5G-enabled continent began many years ago, but it’ll be a marathon, not a sprint. Telecoms will be at the centre of development and integration but, while its technological virtues are rightly espoused, 5G adoption remains limited by high deployment costs and consumer affordability.
This session will look at how African telcos are integrating unused 4G capacity as part of near-term strategies while eyeing the innovation-unlocking value that 5G will surely bring across industry verticals and consumer markets.
Industry enabler: understanding how future networks will need to facilitate more efficient use of AI and IoT and, increasingly, emerging tech like blockchain and the Metaverse
- Adoption hurdles: unpacking roadblocks like slow spectrum allocation, outdated policy and high rollout costs for operators, and how solutions like fixed wireless access to bridge the gap
Electrifying mobile infrastructure in Africa is currently a dirty business. The majority of operators across the continent still rely on polluting, unreliable, and expensive diesel generators to power their towers and base stations. The accelerating drive to connect rural, undeveloped areas beyond the reach of grid electricity means it’s an increasingly pertinent challenge, and one for which renewable energy provides a uniquely attractive solution.
This session explores how partnership, tech innovation, novel investment strategy, and policy are combining to ensure renewable solutions are a long-term choice for powering Africa’s mobile networks.
- MoroccoTech and its ambition to put Morocco on the map as a preferred digital destination around the world
- Exploring the huge potential of Morocco as a telecoms and tech market, what makes the country unique, and what do new entrants need to know?
- The road to 5G: 4G performance is key for the future of 5G
- 5G deployment challenges & consumer potential
- Exploring applications and use cases for 5G
The Democratic Republic of Congo remains one of the continent’s greatest tech development opportunities. Outdated policy and weak networks have meant that, in a nation of more than 100 million people, fewer than 20% of people have an internet connection - that’s about to change.
This session unpacks the status, achievements, challenges & goals for the new 2,500km fibre network, and how it can bring affordable internet to one of the world’s most expensive places to be online.
Market: the impact of in-situ market conditions - policy & regulation, investment vehicles, the start-up scene, and network infrastructure, and what transformation fibre could bring
Regional impact: what can the DRC learn from countries that have gone through the process of telecoms and network transformation? Rwanda, Ethiopia, Morocco
Covid-19 only exacerbated the economic state of the Central African region as countries found themselves lacking the resources to meet the needs of the fast growing population. Bringing the right investments into the region could transform the lives of many and create booming economies in countries such as Cameroon, DRC and Chad.
Public/Private partnerships: How can governments help boost the private sector in the region to encourage external investment? What sectors will need the most investment?
- Human Capital: How can countries in Central Africa leverage the thriving youthful population to help enable the transition to a digital economy?
Countries across Central Africa have some of the lowest rates of electricity access across the continent with resources in the DRC, for example, covering less than 10% of the population. Given the climate, however, it is an ideal region to implement clean energy solutions as a means to combat climate change and provide the population with a basic need.
DRC Case study: Exploring the impact of partnerships between telcos and clean energy providers to make access to electricity more widespread across the country
Policies: What more can governments do to encourage investment in green energy?
What needs to change to get more women into senior leadership roles in technology? In this session we will look at:
- How to get more women into C-Level tech positions through systemic changes
- Battling imposter syndrome
- The importance of personal branding
In our quest to place more capital in the hands of women we talk to a top female angel investor about her first investment, and the nuts and bolts of putting your money where your mouth is for feminist investing. In this session we will look at:
- Why women need to become investors
- How to invest
- What to invest in
InspiringFifty is a global initiative run by EQL:HER, with chapters across Europe, Africa and North America. Our focus is to increase diversity in tech, providing women in STEM with the recognition and platform they deserve, and inspiring the next generation of leaders and tech talent by providing positive role models across the tech ecosystem.
We have an incredible InspiringFifty community of past and present award winners from our global chapters – they’re the leading women across tech and STEM.
This panel brings together leading investors and founders to discuss the vital shift needed for the tech sector to embrace diversity and inclusion as a force for innovation.
Console Connect and Balancing Act share findings from the 2022 Africa Interconnection Report, including:
- A look back at a landmark year of investment in data centres in Africa
- Analysis of whether investment in cloud services is keeping pace
- The enterprise view on what is needed next for cloud adoption to take off in the region
An increase in demand for more environmentally conscious behaviour by consumers has led to a shift in the thinking around the key requirements needed to build data centers across the continent. Accessibility to data centers that are affordable, reliable as well as sustainable has been a pressing issue for data center providers to deliver on but will be essential for the future of the industry.
- Planning Ahead: Following COP26 last year, many organisations have been given the push to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050. How will the design of data centers have to shift to achieve that and how will data center practises need to change?
- Challenges & Opportunities: What are some of the key challenges that companies will face in building Sustainable Data Centers? How will partnerships and new technology help to achieve this goal?
Africa accounts for less than 1% of the world’s co-location data centre supply with South Africa accounting for the bulk of capacity and yet it has the highest growth of internet penetration.
- Localising Data: The majority of data is still held outside the continent, how is that affecting the transfer of data in Africa? Have policies and regulation across the continent encouraged the hosting of data closer to where it has been consumed?
- Government incentives: A number of governments are taking initiative by developing special economic zones, industrial parks which provide tax exemptions for data centers, has this accelerated the construction of data centers in certain areas?
Africa is set to attract billions in data center investments across the continent led by South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria with Ghana also playing a role, attracting investment from big tech companies. This investment has mainly been driven by advances in connectivity and data consumption as smartphone penetration rises in Africa.
- New market players: To meet this rising demand what role are players such as telcos, government and enterprises playing in the space?
- Subsea Cables: how is the construction of subsea cables across the continent fuelling demand for investment in data centers?
The Covid-19 Pandemic led to a move from office environments to a hybrid model of working or complete remote working. Businesses have had to shift their thinking and cloud services will be at the heart of this transformation.
- Cloud infrastructure: How important will the migration of legacy systems to the cloud will be in a hybrid or remote working model? What are the barriers to achieving this?
- Software as a Service: SaaS is more common than hosting data externally, will this shift as companies are moving more towards a hybrid working model?
Although interest and investment in cloud computing is growing at an increasingly rapid rate, there is a skills gap in meeting the necessary demand for digital and in particular cloud computing skills. Gartner estimated that the supply and demand ratio in South Africa, for example, was extremely low at 5 professionals with the available skills for every 1 job posting.
- Digital skills: How have programmes across the continent helped to equip the youth with digital skills? What is the role of government and the private sector in bridging this gap? How can universities partner with companies to deliver these trainings?
- Future ready: The IMF predicts there will be 230 million new jobs by 2030 requiring a certain level of digital literacy and technical skills. How do we ensure that skills we are teaching will be future-proof and meet the skills in demand in the next decade?
Blockchain shows incredible potential for a continent like Africa as the technology can enhance transparency of transactions while reducing costs and inefficiencies. It has been adopted to a certain extent across the continent but where does the real potential lie and what is needed to achieve it?
- Investment: How much investment is currently going into the technology? What are some of the concerns investors have in committing to blockchain?
- Trade: Could blockchain have the potential to boost trade within the continent and help capitalize on the AfCFTA?
- Regulation: What is hindering full potential? Ghana launched a regulatory sandbox which will allow banks, companies and others to develop and pilot new blockchain based products – what are some of the key learnings from the Ghanaian model?
We hear a lot about the success of the African fintech landscape, its growth and potential for enabling digital inclusion across the continent. The industry, however, has huge disparities between genders and women face significant challenges in benefiting from the booming sector. The funding that went into female led start-ups between 2013-2021, for example, was less than 5% of total available funding.
- Bridging the gap: Many attribute the gap to a lack of female techpreneurs, does part of the problem lie in bringing women into the fintech space? What are some of the barriers preventing this?
- Gender based biases: Even if there are less female fintech entrepreneurs, there still lies strong gender biases that affect the ability of female entrepreneurs to access funding. What are some of the ways to address this? How important is it to have diversity of people with decision making power to effectively create change?
Since 2018, 9 countries in the continent have launched initiatives to create government owned digital currency referred to as CBDCs to counter the increasing number of cryptocurrencies sparking up. This session will explore some of the debate around how effective these currencies are and the expectations for what they aim to achieve.
- Creating a digital economy: Are digital currencies more adapted for online transactions, how has the launch of CBDCs impacted the adoption of ecommerce?
- Lack of adoption: CBDCs have had a pretty low adoption rate with Ghana reporting a 10% coverage of the population while Kenya remains at 12.5%. Problems around interoperability and transferability, low smartphone penetration in the country are some of the issues central to lack of adoption. What are some of the ways to address this?
- Financial inclusion: The launch of digital currencies was created to “bank the unbanked”, how successful has it been in doing that?
- E-Naira as a case study: E-Naira was the first cryptocurrency set up as a digital version of the national currency, it has been expected to boost Nigeria’s GDP by $29 billion over next 10 years – are these estimates accurate, where is the increase in revenue coming from?
According to GSMA reports, Africa accounts for 70% of the value of mobile money worldwide with the number of transactions increasing from $495 billion in 2020 to $701.4 billion in 2021. The industry’s customers base has diversified as mobile money services expanded from person-to-person transactions to merchant payments enabling SMEs to operate more efficiently.
- Future of mobile money: Africa is one of the largest markets for mobile money transactions, what is next for the industry? How will it accelerate the creation of a digital economy across African markets?
- From B2C to B2B: The mobile money industry is shifting from a business to consumer market to a business-to-business market, what does this mean for the consumer?
Over the past 5 years, the continent has seen a surge in active users entering the gaming industry from 77 million in 2015 to 186 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is due partly to the increase of people being connected through smartphones but the adoption of blockchain technology is key to acceleration the adoption and transformation of the industry.
- Blockchain Gaming: What does the term “blockchain gaming”? How will it change the future of the gaming industry?
- Monetizing gaming: How has blockchain and cryptocurrency created new opportunities for entrepreneurs to enter the gaming industry?