Digital Transformation Pulse Check: Undersea Cable, Remote Power Supply & Terrestrial Fibre Optic

In this special edition of the African Tech Roundup podcast, taped at the fringes of the inaugural Africa Digital Transformation Strategy Summit (convened by NOVACOM Summits), Refiloe Mpakanyane investigates the state of digital transformation in Africa through conversation with four seasoned corporate C-suite executives spearheading corporate innovation in Africa. Dr Juliet Ehimuan is formerly Director of Google West Africa. Juliet posits three critical pillars of digital transformation: access, local content development, and tech entrepreneurship. Citing the role of smartphone adoption in driving digital access across Africa, Juliet believes that skills development is essential for participation in the digital economy and that governments can play a significant role in digitizing services, enhancing efficiency, and promoting digital skills among citizens. As the Chief Strategy Officer of Liquid Intelligence Technologies, Dr Willie Oosthuysen serves a Cassava Technologies subsidiary with an extensive presence in over 20 African countries and a fibre optic network spanning more than 110,000 kilometres. Willie holds that even as regulatory challenges persist across the continent, with governments often struggling to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology and innovation, Africa adapts successful technology models from more developed regions, with a lag of 2 to 3 years. Varun Giridhar is the CEO of Continuous Power Africa. The episode acknowledges the challenges of infrastructure, energy costs, and other hurdles in Africa's digital transformation. Varun is inclined to view Africa's energy challenges as opportunities for innovation. He is upbeat as he reflects on the continent's progress since Continous Power Africa started providing nimble, cost-effective distributed energy to telecommunications partners in Africa and beyond. He is particularly bullish on more recent trends towards the deployment of remote control and autonomous interventions. Elhad Kassim Said Ahmed is the Head of Submarine Optical Fiber Network at Comoros Cables. Comoros Cables is a company from a small island nation with a grand vision for connectivity. Elhad sheds light on Comoros Cables' ambitious vision to position itself as a pivotal hub for broadband connectivity. This vision is underpinned by Comoros' strategic geographical location, nestled in the Mozambique Channel. This location allows them to connect not only with the Asian markets but also with the northern and southern regions of the African continent. SUPPORT US: Value our work? Then, join our Patreon Community and help the African Tech Roundup platform remain single-mindedly focused on serving Africa's tech and innovation ecosystem with robust independent insight and learning content. Image credit: Gabriel Meinert (00:00) - Introduction to African Tech Roundup and Digital Transformation (03:07) - Three pillars of digital transformation: access, local content, skills development (05:51) - Importance of regulatory frameworks for digital transformation (11:09) - Government as the Lender of First Resort (14:04) - Importance of Mentorship and Founder Communities (15:38) - Challenges to Network Resilience for Digital Transformation (17:58) - Key Factors in Gaining Stakeholder Buy-In from Government (20:16) - Building Connectivity for Every African: Liquid's Mission (21:31) - The History and Evolution of Continuous Power (23:03) - Continuous Power's Expansion into Power Solutions (32:56) - Camoros' Geopolitical and Strategic Positioning (35:21) - Future Projects to Expand Connectivity in the Region (37:06) - Ambition and Drive of a Small Island Nation