Africans urged to drive new narratives through technology

Africans all over the world have been tasked to find lasting solutions to the problems confronting the continent using technological innovations to drive new narratives for the black race.

The charge was made by the keynote speaker at the sixth Verdant Zeal annual Innovention Series, Joel Chimhanda in Lagos recently.

The investment banking and financial advisory expert who is also the founder of JC Capital, South Africa, stressed that only Africans can solve Africa’s problems.

As he addressed the gathering on the theme of Innovention Series 2017: ‘How Technology is Driving Africa’s New Narrative’, he lamented that intra African trade is barely 11% as almost 90% of money spent in Africa immediately goes outside the continent to other countries.

He also called on African leaders to come together to chart the way forward for the continent. He said, “Africa can only grow when African major leaders sit in a room to discuss a new way forward for the continent based on the opportunities technology is offering.

He called on African nations, spearheaded by Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya to tap into the opportunities provided by technology.

He equally took on the African media for not living up to their billing in passing proper and adequate information and for under reporting critical issues affecting the continent.

He emphasised that “You can only make informed decisions when you are well informed. Unfortunately 90% of Africans make misinformed decisions and the media is to be blamed for that.”

Speaking at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman, Verdant Zeal Group, Dr. Tunji Olugbodi said that internet penetration in Africa has been gathering momentum over the last half-decade as we seek to close gap on Information Communication Technology, ICT, with western climes and with these trends, Nigeria leads the continent and is expected to be among the top 10 internet using countries in the world by 2018.

According to him, the Innovention Series is an attempt to provide pragmatic ways of helping Africa’s young, yet vulnerable population, gain the requisite skills to lift themselves out of poverty and participate in the global economy now dictated by technology.

Panel discussions on driving new narrative for Africa through technology had Maya Horgan-Faomdu, Founder and CEO, Ingressive; Olalekan Olumide, Senior Vice President, Jobberman; Afua Osei, Co-Founder; She Leads Africa and Temie Giwa-Tubosun, Founder, Life Bank. The session was moderated by Muyiwa Moyela, External Relations Leader, IBM Central and West Africa.

The Innovention Series by Verdant Zeal was instituted as a platform to examine the question of Africa’s development, focusing on leveraging inherent strengths, youths and technological innovations.

The series is attempting to provide pragmatic ways of helping Africa’s young, yet vulnerable population gain the requisite skills to lift themselves out of poverty and participate in the global economy now dictated by technology.