● The AFRICA CEO FORUM, which is holding its 6th edition on 26 and 27 March in Abidjan, will turn the spotlight on Africa’s disruptive technologies
● Five African startups on the forefront of innovation will compete for the prestigious ‘Most Promising Company of the Year’ award
● More than 1,200 personalities, all key industrial, financial and political decision-makers, from over 60 countries, will gather for what is now recognized as the biggest and most important meeting of Africa’s private sector
THUR, MARCH 1 2018-theG&BJournal-From Artificial Intelligence and Big Data to robot automation: the world’s digital revolutions are changing the game in Africa and shaking up the continent’s development models. Despite posing a threat to industrial job creation, disruptive technology also points to promising growth opportunities for African champions across diverse sectors.
How can the potential of Big Data be better exploited to accelerate financial inclusion in Africa? What drivers of growth do eHealth services offer the private sector? How can smart farming and technological innovation dramatically increase agricultural yields? How can Africa’s internet penetration be boosted? What are the opportunities offered by online higher education? How can solar energy be deployed on a large scale and permanently establish itself as an essential source in Africa’s energy mix?
The next AFRICA CEO FORUM will focus on the opportunities offered by disruptive technologies to stimulate growth and employment on the continent and thereby spark a new era for the African private sector. For two days, some of the innovators who made history in Africa will tell their stories, like Jesse Moore, founder of M-Kopa, the leading off-grid solar energy company in East Africa and the heads of Google Nigeria, Microsoft and Orange.
This year’s AFRICA CEO FORUM is specifically devoting a panel to startups, the continent’s new pioneers of innovation. The African Tech ecosystem comprises more than 310 active hubs and is emerging as one of the most promising in the world. Five major African startups, at the forefront of innovation in eCommerce (Capricorn Digital), telecommunications (Africa’s Talking), Agritech (Twiga Foods), Fintech (In Touch) and Digital Advertising (Omniup), will compete for the ‘Most Promising Company of the Year’ award. The jury will be made up of specialist investors, including IFC experts and the heads of two of Africa’s main venture capitalist firms: TLcom and Omidyar. This new trophy, which recognizes the nascent African company with the most growth potential, will be awarded at the AFRICA CEO FORUM Awards on Monday night, March 26.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA)
