Webinar 1
African Universal Connectivity 2030: Realistic Ambition or Pipe Dream?
Charting the route to universal internet access in Africa in the next decade
About this Webinar
This special 2022 Connecting Africa Symposium will examine where the continent stands in it's journey to universal internet - looking to launched, planned and future projects to envision a 2030 African connectivity map. We'll unpack the myriad challenges infrastructure projects on the continent face, to explore practical solutions with regional experts, enterprise leaders and industry insiders.
Topics will Include:
Funding
Infrastructure investment is the central factor in Africa's connectivity challenge. As telco-tech coalitions launch high-speed fibre projects to criss-cross the continent and international funding grows, questions remain on where the money required to connect 800M people will come from, and how these billions are most efficiently spent.
Tech 2.0
We’ll discuss how new technologies such as LEO satellite, OpenRAN and 5G can help bridge the last mile and connect underserved communities, and telcos, MNOs & big tech are addressing the affordability issue with novel handset and data finance schemes.
Collaboration
From government legislation & taxation to infrastructure & knowledge, Africa needs a more unified approach to affordable, reliable internet provision – could The AfCFTA spell the beginning of a new model for partnership across borders?
Priorities
Analysing the relationship between broadband access and economic development, and the unfulfilled potential for SMEs, start-ups, and of an unconnected, uneducated youth.
Webinar 2
Is Africa’s Evolving Data Centre Industry Keeping Pace with its 4IR Ambitions?
Positioning Africa’s data centre and cloud services industries as the backbone of the digital drive
About this Webinar
The data centre and cloud services industries have never been more important to the African continent. The demands of the ‘internet for all’ drive alongside the relentless pursuit of digital economies powered by technology is galvanising a sector with increasing demands on the storage, management and analysis of vast amounts of data. This symposium will unpack the biggest challenges facing the industry in the next 10 years, and how data centre providers are combining strategy and technological innovation to keep pace with the continent’s digital transformation journey.
Topics will Include:
Opportunity Map
Understanding current activity – planned, in-progress & completed – of data centres on-continent, emerging regional hubs, and how market entry and investment opportunities across nations require individual strategy.
Demand
Africa has a 1GW capacity gap. We’ll explore the drivers of this growing demand for capacity including: the role of huge public and private infrastructure projects, booming sectors like fintech, and increased penetration of 4G & 5G connectivity.
Cloud
Unpacking cloud service uptake in Africa, adoption blockers like weak regulation and security, the merits of cloud vs traditional ‘on-premises’ data, and how cloud providers are innovating to meet changing enterprise demands.
Skills Gap
Availability of the specialist skills required to build and maintain high-tech data centres has not kept pace with accelerating demand – how costly could failing to address this issue be for the continent?