Why Africa Must Be Involved In 4th Industrial Revolution – Danbatta

The executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has said Africa must take cognizance of the digital economic eco-system as the world gears up for the 4th industrial revolution.

He gave the advice at the annual regional capacity building workshop, with the theme: “Strengthening Capacities in Internet Governance in Africa,” for sub-Saharan African member states of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Abuja.

“The previous revolutions did not witness the full involvement of the African continent. So, the continent is trying to make sure it is not left out in benefiting from the various important features of the upcoming fourth industrial revolution.

“While we’re doing this, we take cognizance of the digital economic eco-system, how do we generate that critical mass of ICT adoption and use so that by so doing we can increase internet penetration, broadband penetration and mobile voice penetration,” he questioned.

He listed elements of the digital transformation eco-system to include enabling policies and institutions, human capital, the ICT industry, communications infrastructure, and ICT applications and institutional change.

He therefore urged participants to examine policies in place in the ecosystem with a view to making them more impactful to drive the required transformation.

In a goodwill message, the representative of the ITU regional office, Marcelleno Telor, explained that the workshop was an annual event which the ITU regional office organises with the aim of providing a platform for African countries to share experiences, strengthen their knowledge and raise awareness on matters concerning the year’s theme through a multi-stakeholders’ discussions or approach of the evolving gaps.

Earlier in his remarks, the administrator of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Ike Adinde, described the workshop as a major event that seeks to explore how best to advance knowledge in the context of today’s knowledge society especially as it relates to Africa.