Infrastructure is often the focus of Africa’s transformation. Cables, towers, devices, datacentres. The transformation begins with the people. It starts with insights and connections on platforms that help companies better understand their customers. Mandla Mbonambi of Africonology points out that African businesses need technology options that are agile and flexible enough to thrive in spite of the challenges of infrastructure. They also need solutions which can be localised and grow with them.
Africa does not require digital maturity to be imported
He goes on. It’s important to have a framework for scale, and that allows people, businesses and institutions to grow along with something larger than themselves. This framework is a collaborative ecosystem that combines a variety of roles in a space where ideas can grow.
Across the continent pockets of innovation already demonstrate this. African communities are creating the digital future of the continent from the ground-up, whether it’s developer collectives and data cooperatives in Cape Town or civic tech groups in Lagos. The tools and resources that these individuals and institutions need to achieve their goals are practical and useful.
The most effective tools meet communities where they already are. Low-code platforms allow users who are not technically minded to test and prototype ideas. Knowledge-sharing platforms that combine online learning with offline mentoring. As they become embedded in a system which supports learning and sharing, CRM solutions, data visualization dashboards, mobile form builders, and customer relationship management software (CRM) will gain more value.
But tools by themselves can’t close the gap between performance and potential. Infrastructure is needed to bridge the gap between potential and performance. Infrastructure is not just about technical infrastructure but also relationships, standards, and shared understanding. Communities and ecosystems serve as important containers for feedback and growth.
Digital ecosystems in Africa are built on context.
says Mbonambi. They build networks of support to help make the tools they offer useful. They realize that transformation is not just about upgrading systems, but also about retraining and unlearning.
Communities have the ability to be platforms. The resilience generated by organisations working together to create local solutions is something that cannot be purchased. It is evident in the way that informal traders are adopting mobile commerce and the growth of social enterprises and cooperatives with tech capabilities.
Africa’s strength is in creating its own unique operating models, which are built on shared tools and local knowledge. It also has a strong understanding of progress. This requires a new approach to digitalization.
Training cycles, mentoring and community governance as well as technology that creates an ecosystem that fosters collaboration
, says Mbonambi. It is possible to transform companies by building hybrid systems which can accommodate cloud and connectivity gaps and handle the complexity between legacy systems, as well as emerging platforms.
African digital communities have already solved problems in a practical and grounded way. What companies must do now is solve challenges related to access, interoperability, and trust. Tools will continue to change to keep up with the pace of change. It is important that the ecosystems surrounding them can also evolve.
Transformation occurs in the space between peoples and their potential, and as we invest more in this area, the more Africa will lead.
He says. The ecosystems that are created by tools such as Salesforce, for instance, are designed to eliminate the silos, and to block growth and collaboration, so that companies and communities can grow with purpose, and on their terms.
Africa doesn’t require diluted versions global platforms but the ability of accessing technology with local assistance, flexible tools, and ecosystems which foster growth in order to become a participant digital transformation.
