She sits atop the huge head of the lion in cheeky confidence…the soles of her feet rest firmly on the lion’s eyes, shutting them up firmly; smothering its rippling aggression with her enchanting tenderness…subduing its age old violence with her silent grief. This lion is Nigeria with all her primitive aggression and unbridled injustice.

Her supple palms are wrapped around the Nigerian flag. But this is her moment and she has decreed that the flag would not fly. It’s her own way of getting back at a country that has broken her in two. So, it is neatly furled up in its mast and cuts the momentary image of a weapon for the defense of her defiance.

Her face is a mask of grief. She is disconsolate. Implacable. Sorrow has corroded her youth. Folks say she had lost three brothers to SARS. So, come thunderstorms and the trumpet of apocalypse; Nigeria has to explain what wrong her family has done to deserve this pain!

But I can’t help but wonder where she finds the courage to stand tall and ask for justice. Indeed, where do broken people find the strength to demand for justice?

Yet, in her little act of defiance, in her choice of bestraddling the statue of a lion, this fragile looking girl has built a monument in honour of her fallen brothers. And her powerful photographs have become an enduring iconography of the people’s angst against a dysfunctional system that has outlived its usefulness.

That is why this unknown girl is my heroine of this struggle; not Aisha Yesufu.

James Eze

From a concept considered to be an excessive and unnecessary spend just a few short years ago, Machine Learning (ML) has grown to have a significant impact not only on people’s daily lives, but also on the ability of enterprise IT to innovate – provided organisations ask the right questions to select the most appropriate Machine Learning systems, says Andrea Tucker, Head of Research and Development, e4.

“Since it is a long term investment, as long as an organisation has clearly stated upfront why they are embarking on their ML journey and what problems they’re looking to solve, it will be possible to compare the capabilities of a solution against what it needs to solve for.”

She notes that by using Machine Learning, enterprises are now able to better understand and process their data much faster using modern tools with established algorithms. “Potential outputs of a successful ML strategy can be powerful and measurable marketing campaigns or more efficient operations or logistics. Firms want to be able to utilise their valuable data, but not at a cost that is greater than its inherent value and Machine Learning allows for this, with the added benefits of more consistent decision making and streamlined operations.”

Tucker says it is critical to ensure a problem is clearly articulated from the outset rather than attempting to retrofit a vendor or solution to an organisational challenge. “It is also important in the South African context to determine whether a ML system has been successfully applied to this environment. We have unique challenges and experiences that need to be catered for.”

The sheer volume and ongoing proliferation of data available means that organisations are now able to track the exact relationship between two seemingly unrelated things and predict a possible outcome. “Being able to answer these questions can benefit billions of people around the globe. If it is now possible to track causal factors that cause cancer, we can make more informed decisions around how to live our lives and can be a part of a long term solution simply by creating more data to feed into a ML solution to continue to improve the decision making process,” she says.

In addition to being used as part and parcel of scenario-planning tools during the Covid-19 pandemic, Tucker says Machine Learning will continue to be deployed in almost every industry vertical as its many applications and benefits become more widely appreciated. “As new verticals are created, so too are the opportunities for ML. Ten years ago ‘wearable devices’ were things in movies, and now these can predict heart attacks. Within healthcare, retail and financial services there are millions, if not billions, of data points created on a daily basis and ML can be used effectively to drive specific behaviour or provide a competitive advantage.”

The digital economy as we know it refers to the economic activities enabled by digital technologies that connect people, businesses, and processes

With a shift away from physical commerce, consumers are increasingly taking their daily activities online. This shift has resulted in new opportunities for emerging digital entrepreneurs to reap the dividends from digital and grow in the digital economy.

The digital economy as we know it refers to the economic activities enabled by digital technologies that connect people, businesses, and processes. It’s the hyper-connectiveness of this economy that allows the ecosystem to grow, and redefines how typical businesses are structured. But how exactly? Through the opportunities created by digital tech, including the Internet, the cloud, mobile technology, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

It’s these emerging technologies that are disrupting traditional business models, leading digital transformation, and redefining how businesses interact with customers and how customers receive and experience services and goods. Being able to thrive in a digital economy will be key to ensuring a competitive edge and business sustainability.

The role of connectivity and cloud solutions in the digital economy

There’s no denying that customer expectations are changing around the world, and we’ll be seeing this increasingly in Africa too. Whether your customers are businesses or consumers, they are becoming more reliant on Internet connectivity to make purchases, drive business outcomes, and stay connected with the world around them. At the core of the digital economy is connectivity, and reliable connectivity is a prerequisite for joining the digital economy.

Enabled by connectivity, cloud technologies allow businesses to streamline their processes in cost-effective, reliable ways, and they offer the flexibility required to scale operations and adjust to demand.

For aspiring digital entrepreneurs in particular, connectivity and cloud solutions are critical as they enable them to collaborate and access resources from any location with a secure network – meaning they can work effectively without having to invest in a physical office space. This reduces start-up costs, providing small businesses and start-ups alike the opportunity to compete with larger companies that have bigger budgets, ultimately leveling the playing field. Thus, improving access to connectivity is key to developing the digital economy.

Emerging digital trends and opportunities

The digital economy enables new business models, but it also gives more traditional companies the opportunity to increase productivity and enhance customer experience through various digital solutions. Social media, mobile computing, data analytics, the cloud, IoT, and cyber solutions can lead to new market opportunities, remote service provision, faster time-to-market, higher revenue streams, and streamlined processes.

We know that customers desire engagements with brands that are seamless, omnichannel, direct, contextual, and above all else, personalised. Something as simple as social media, for instance, can help entrepreneurs connect with their audience base on a personalised level, giving them unprecedented access to consumer feedback. When combined with data analytics tools that help companies predict consumer needs from online activity, this gives businesses a unique opportunity to offer consumers exactly what they want, when they want it.

Entrepreneurs can help change the way products and services are managed, optimised, and deployed, as well as how customers perceive their brands, fostering brand loyalty. If we are to develop digital entrepreneurship, it is critical to ensure that more aspiring entrepreneurs are exposed to emerging tools and trends.

Africa is full of examples of companies that are harnessing the digital economy. Front-runner M-Pesa has made remarkable achievements in the mobile communication industry. Its investment in inclusive infrastructure to help launch a microfinance product and lower consumer barriers to banking entry has been a true win for Kenya, and its people. More recently, Kobo360, a logistics start-up that serves as a marketplace for shippers and transporters, is giving companies access to a flexible fleet of over 17 000 drivers and trucks that operate in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Togo. In South Africa, RapidDeploy uses cloud-based software to help public safety officials to reduce emergency response times.

Thriving in the digital economy

There are various ways for entrepreneurs to join the digital economy, starting with moving past traditional business structures and re-aligning value creation. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean rethinking all aspects of your offering, but rather focusing on switching from physical to digital interactions and operations that will enable new business and service models.

What’s needed is an integration strategy that takes existing physical structures and processes into account and integrates them with digital systems. Omnichannel customer engagement, for example, allows entrepreneurs to visualise the actual lifecycle of its customers and helps identify gaps or weaknesses. It gives entrepreneurs a unique chance to identify opportunities, respond quickly, and thrive in this new economy.

It’s this level of agility that will help entrepreneurs create and deliver services and goods more in tune with their customers’ wants and needs, helping to grow the digital economy, and Kenya’s wider economy along with it.

In this new, highly competitive digital world, entrepreneurs need to assess whether the services they are offering are truly adding value in the most efficient way possible. As the digital economy grows, we will see more entrants using a myriad of digital tools to bring more services and goods to market faster. Staying competitive in this ecosystem requires a combination of connectivity, innovative thinking, and smart partnerships to help differentiate your business. But as international giants, such as Amazon and Alphabet, have shown, for those companies that do get it right, the digital economy offers unprecedented opportunities.

Tonny Tugee, SEACOM East Africa MD