Chief Commercial Officer at MTN Group, Selorm Adadevoh, has opined that for the continent to change its narrative on developing a sustainable infrastructure to accelerate digital innovation and technological growth, there is a need for a radical shift in mindset, educational systems and demand-creating approaches.
Africa is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to technology and according to the World Bank, the continent will need to bridge the about US$1.7trillion infrastructure financing gap by 2040 to catch up. Also, about 50 percent of the population do not have access to Internet services.
With this at hand, Mr. Adadevoh admitted that the continent has a lot of work to do, stressing that the chain of influencing infrastructure development must start now with a change in mindset, thus Africa believes in the journey required and what sacrifices it is willing to make to turn its fortune around.
He indicated that a change of mindset traverses several different segments and requires a change in regulations from regulators, governments, investment companies and even the youth.
He further urged the transformation of educational systems to a more digital one to develop the skill sets required to fully embrace the new thinking.
“It is not enough to invest in the infrastructure without investing in the skills needed. Africa has the largest youth population in the world. We must harness the power of the youth by transforming our current educational system toward a more digital framework,” he said at the African Prosperity Dialogues held in Aburi in the Eastern Region.
Speaking on the theme ‘Critical Enablers for Single Market Success – Leveraging Infrastructure, Innovation, and Technology’, he said: “This is important because if we do not believe that transforming our educational systems will have a consequence on the prospect of Africa 15 or 20 years from now, then we would not do that today. These are long-term investments we see China and Brazil do as wells as all other markets that are benefitting from a decision that was made years ago. We need to shift our mindset to change the narrative for Africa over the next 20 to 30 years. If we do not make this decision today, then the mindset that informs investment today will not get us there”.
Believing that developing a skilled workforce and changing the educational system will drive demand, he underscored the importance of creating markets within the continent to reduce over-dependence on imported ideas.
“Until we start to create markets within our markets, this will not be economically viable. We must begin to rely on ourselves to find cheaper solutions to our problems,” he said.
“Fundamentally, if you invest in infrastructure, you expect to get a return on that investment after a certain point in time. To develop a return on investment at the threshold that is required, you have to have a demand for using the infrastructure, so the link to skills development is to drive the demand side so that your infrastructure utilisation is at the highest level that it can be to enhance your returns.
“The second thing is that if you drive skill development, then the mindset around the applicability of the infrastructure to our local problems becomes much higher. If we do appreciate that the infrastructure is solving local problems, then we will be in a much better position to change the things we need to source investment locally, which reduces our cost of financing infrastructure and also ensures that we retain the benefit of the investment within the countries where we operate. All these create a much better ecosystem for infrastructure expansion, investment and the benefit to the investor,” he explained.
For her part, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer at the MTN Group, Nompilo Morafo, added that Africa’s success relies on empowering its people digitally and bridging the gap of accessibility.
As such, she noted that a conversation must be had on what partnership the continent should be considering to derive this empowerment.
To this effect, she said MTN is bent on scaling up its Skills Academy, together with its partners, to enable young people to move beyond just being consumers.
In alignment with the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa and MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy, the telcos giant launched MTN’s Skills Academy to reach 1 million people by 2025.
The MTN Skills Academy aims to provide access to digital and financial skills training across Africa. By bridging the gap between high demand and low supply, it aims to increase digital skills among young Africans and increase employment opportunities.
The panel discussion on ‘Critical Enablers for Single Market Success– Leveraging Infrastructure, Innovation and Technology’ emphasised that Africa urgently requires secure, dependable, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable infrastructure to accelerate digital innovation and technological growth.
The significant growth in infrastructure for information and communication, according to the African Development Bank, has resulted in Africa being the second largest mobile phone market in the world. Broadband coverage is, however, still low. Achieving successful advancement in infrastructure to promote innovation and technology hinges on establishing institutional and regulatory frameworks that facilitate access to digital technologies and market platforms. These platforms must be accessible to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
