I have had the honor of speaking in rooms that bring great people together, and the African Leadership Magazine event in London was no exception. The 9th ALM summit, themed “Africa Unleashed: Navigating Disruptions, Enhancing Opportunity,” was a remarkable gathering. It is a profound honour to be among esteemed African leaders and to hear about their significant milestones and initiatives.
In the past century, there have been development programmes targeted at supporting Africa. May I say, “Saving Africa”? There was the “Colonial Development and Welfare Acts (1940 and 1945).” The British government initiated these acts to fund development projects in British colonies, including those in Africa, focusing on infrastructure, education, and health services. Then there was the “Point Four Programme (1949).” Announced by U.S. President Harry Truman, this programme provided technical assistance and support to developing countries, including African nations.
Between the 1960s and 1980s, we had the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (1965). The UNDP was established to coordinate international development efforts and provide funding and technical assistance to developing countries, including those in Africa. Then there was a targeted programme known as the ” African Development Bank Group (AfDB) (1964).” Created to foster economic development and social progress in African countries, the AfDB provides loans and grants for various development projects. This was followed by the “First UN Development Decade (1960s),” an initiative aimed at accelerating economic growth in developing countries, focusing on industrialisation, education, and health.
Today, we are at a point of inflection where I believe technology can do that. One of the beauties of technology and its disruptive nature is its ability to reset and give every person, culture, race, and continent a level playing field. Today, Africa, with over 1.2 billion people, mostly youths (40% below 15 years compared to the global average of 25%), has the advantage of youth: many opportunities for economic growth and innovation. We have the advantage of being technology natives, not afraid to try and use tech. The young are not afraid to try and use something new: robotics, AI, blockchain, biotechnology, cybersecurity. This is the Africa we can have today.
Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, MD/CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT).
NIGCOMSAT CEO: Technology provides everyone a level playing field
The 1980s to 2000s saw more targeted programmes aimed at poverty and reforms in Africa. They included the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) (1980s and 1990s), initiated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and The World Bank . SAPs aimed to stabilise economies and promote growth through economic reforms in African countries. These programmes, however, were controversial and had mixed results. Then came the ” New Partnership for Africa’s Development ( African Union Development Agency-NEPAD ) (2001),” an African Union initiative to address critical challenges such as poverty, development, and Africa’s marginalisation internationally. In the early 2000s, when I started my career in satellite technology, it was all about the “Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (2000-2015).” Launched by the United Nations, the MDGs aimed to address global issues, including poverty, hunger, disease, and education, with specific targets for African countries.
Currently, the focus remains on the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (2015-2030).” The SDGs, adopted by all United Nations member states, provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. They include 17 goals with specific targets for African development. Most of these programmes have struggled to fully achieve their desired outcomes in Africa, plagued by economic challenges, institutional weaknesses, inappropriate programme design and implementation, external dependencies, and inadequate understanding of the local context. I have always had challenges with such programmes. The top-down approaches: Many programmes have been designed without sufficient input from local communities, leading to solutions that do not align with local needs or realities. Solutions that were not created and led by Africans themselves. This could be largely due to my philosophy, which is nicely captured in Randolph Intindola’s quote: “Sometimes you’re the only one that can save yourself; for no one is coming to save you.”
Additionally, most of these programmes are more visionary and aimed well into the future, hinged on the assumption of scarcity. A lot of it is based on what we lack. Africa compared to an ideal defined by others, a huge comparison to the Western world. It has been based on scarcity or lack rather than on our strengths, resources, capacity, and capability. It’s been very futuristic. I have always wondered why most of the plans were targeted far off with little accommodation for what can be done now with what exists. These programmes should rather be based upon the principles of balance and dualism, catering for the future and the present, making the Africa of today take her place.
Today, we are at a point of inflection where I believe technology can do that. One of the beauties of technology and its disruptive nature is its ability to reset and give every person, culture, race, and continent a level playing field. Today, Africa, with over 1.2 billion people, mostly youths (40% below 15 years compared to the global average of 25%), has the advantage of youth: many opportunities for economic growth and innovation. We have the advantage of being technology natives, not afraid to try and use tech. The young are not afraid to try and use something new: robotics, AI, blockchain, biotechnology, cybersecurity. This is the Africa we can have today.
When it comes to digital-enabled socio-economic development, Africa has fewer legacy challenges to deal with and is therefore adopting digitized solutions faster out of necessity. For Africa, the current moment offers a leapfrogging opportunity. Today’s technologies indicate the scale and speed at which technology is transforming traditional socio-economic sectors. Emerging technology can reset that clock, and no one has the upper hand. We can start today without the baggage of yesteryears. We can use digital technology, which can impact various and most sectors to create a digital economy; support traditional sectors, and create new ones. We can build our LLMs, drive smart agriculture, e-commerce. Automate manufacturing, create remote opportunities for jobs, and launch our own satellites.
NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE LIMITED (NIGCOMSAT) , a satellite company owned by the Nigerian government, has a geostationary satellite in space covering most of sub-Saharan Africa and is about to launch another in the next few years. We are aware of the need for technology infrastructure in Africa, to provide connectivity to enable digital services, and drive a digital economy in Africa. We are open to collaborating and partnering for an “Africa for now.” We believe that with technology, we can bridge the digital divide and give access to Africans in remote, underserved, and unserved areas, enabling businesses and sectors in these unserved areas for a truly inclusive economy. We believe in the role of Africans in building an Africa for today that can navigate current disruptions, one that is positioned for the enhanced opportunities of the future.
Thank you to the African Leadership Magazine organisers once more for the opportunity to share at the summit.
Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, MD/CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), made this presentation recently at 9th ALM summit, the African Leadership Magazine event in London on the theme “Africa Unleashed: Navigating Disruptions, Enhancing Opportunity.”
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