Smart Africa launched Transform Africa Summit 2019 preparations on Friday morning at Serena Hotel, Kigali.
The breakfast launch, broadcast live, attracted different partners and stakeholders for contributions and discussions on presentations made by the Smart Africa team.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, Claudette Ireme, joined Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Executive Director of Smart Africa, to kick-off the beginning of preparation activities.
As the Smart Africa flagship event, Transform Africa Summit is the annual leading African Summit bringing together global and regional leaders from government, business and international organizations to collaborate on new ways of shaping, accelerating and sustaining Africa’s on-going digital revolution.
The Transform Africa Summit has been held four times to date, attracting over 15,000 delegates from over 100 countries.
The Summit has been held in Kigali, Rwanda, under the following themes:
1. Transform Africa Summit 2013: The Future delivered today.
2. Transform Africa Summit 2015: Accelerating Digital Innovation.
3. Transform Africa Summit 2017: Smart Cities. Fast Forward.
4. Transform Africa Summit 2018: Accelerating Africa’s Single Digital Market.
Following four successful editions, the 5th summit will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 7 – 10 May 2019 under the theme “Boosting Africa’s Digital Economy”.
According to Dr. Toure, the theme was chosen and approved by the board chaired President Paul Kagame and contributions from the private sector.
“There is a growing momentum on the continent and it makes sense because we are looking at accelerating our economies and and creating jobs,” he said.
The summit will unfold in the following format.
May 7: Transform Africa Economic Forum
May 8-9: Transform Africa Summit
May 10: Transform Africa Golf Tournament
The 2019 Summit will discuss practical ways to advance the commitments of transforming Africa into a fully digitized economy where technology is harnessed to fully reap the benefits of Pan-African integration efforts.
Dr. Toure said that this edition will bring to the fore the rapid transformations Africa is going through under the enabling influence of ICT.
Happening now: #TAS2019Launch #TAS2019
Attending breakfast launch this morning are government officials, public and private sector players, international organizations, investors, entrepreneurs, civil society and Academia. pic.twitter.com/JciyTmcOka— Jackie Lumbasi (@JackieLumbasi) November 9, 2018
“As the world embraces the 4th industrial revolution, we have seen Africa leading in some of the most advanced applications. Our founding member State Kenya gave mPesa to the world. Today, more than 3 billion people globally use mobile phones to send and receive money, pay bills, and even save and borrow,” he said.
Rwanda was the world’s first country to use drones to deliver blood and other lifesaving supplies.
Similarly, he added, “we are seeing Internet of things, robotics, artificial intelligence, data analytics coming to transform agriculture, healthcare, commerce, and even government service delivery.”
According to PS Irere, Transform Africa serves as a platform for countries, including Rwanda, to showcase progress in the ICT sector but also to discussing new ideas and frontiers that provide business opportunities.
Speaking at the launch Dr. Hamadoun Toure stated that “we need to dream now and start now,for us to take the continent forward we need youthful innovative leaders, so to the young entrepreneurs in this room this edition is for you.." #TAS2019 #TAS2019Launch
— Smart Africa Org (@RealSmartAfrica) November 9, 2018
Objectives of this year’s summit will include, showcasing success stories in the African digital economy and promoting homegrown businesses/innovations /solutions/partnerships, Mobilizing and securing commitments from key players that are ahead in the digital economy and Launching a Smart Africa Digital Economy Mapping Report
Transform Africa Summit in numbers… #TAS2019Launch#TAS2019 pic.twitter.com/xqHQQnPryS
— Allan Ssenyonga (@ssojo81) November 9, 2018
About Smart Africa
Smart Africa is a bold and innovative commitment from African Heads of State and government to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent, ushering Africa into a knowledge economy through affordable access to Broadband and usage of Information and Communications Technologies.
Launched in 2013 by seven (7) African Heads of State, the Alliance has grown to 24 Member Countries and dozens of Private Sector and Academia members including Inmarsat, Ericsson, Econet Liquid, Huawei, CIB, MTN, Tata Communications Transformation Services, Microsoft, Orange, Facebook, Carnegie Mellon University Africa to name a few. Its founding members include the African Union Commission (AUC), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), African Telecommunications Union (ATU), New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the GSM Association (GSMA) and ICANN.
Where beauty meets brains, Miss Geek. Yet another opportunity for young innovative ladies in the IT sector to pitch their revolutionary ideas to our designated panel of innovators….don't miss out.#TAS2019 #TAS2019Launch @Imbuto @GirlsInICTRW pic.twitter.com/8DwYnx13mJ
— Smart Africa Org (@RealSmartAfrica) November 9, 2018
