Much is said about the potentials of the digital economy in Africa, but predictions and proclamations are often made in the absence of evidence.
Over the last few years, policy-makers have predicted that Africa’s rapidly changing connectivities will lead to radical changes in human welfare and economic development. We therefore see a need to foster a critical and empirically-grounded discussion around the potentials and realities of African digital economies.
The Digital | Economy | Africa Conference takes place March 27-28, 2019 at the School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg. The conference will bring together key international experts and stakeholders who can speak to the themes of digital entrepreneurship, digital jobs/gig work, information economy, innovation hubs, and the changing geographies of information economy on the African continent. In doing so, it will:
- Generate a discussion on the potentials and realities of African digital economies
- Bridge information gaps among key stakeholders through the exchange of knowledge between researchers, the public, and local communities
- Provide policy-makers with empirical evidence relating to digital development goals
- Share findings with stakeholders about the ways in which risks can be tackled and economic opportunities can be harnessed
- Encourage public engagement with research for collaboration, co-design, and development of future projects on issues of digital development
This conference brings together scholars, policy-makers, and key representatives from industry and civil society representing East, West, North, and Southern Africa for two days over talks, lectures, presentations, and panel discussion. These perspectives will be augmented by a select number of international experts, and key findings from the University of Oxford’s Geonet research project.
The conference keynotes will be given by Mr. Mamadou Biteye, Managing Director of the Rockefeller Foundation Africa Regional Office and Prof. Alison Gillwald, Executive Director of Research ICT Africa. The conference program is as follows:
The detailed conference programme is as follows:
Selected Presentations
| 1. Felix Arim | MunuTech |
| 2. Uzo Eziukwu | The Outsource Company |
| 3. Alicia Fortuin | University of Cape Town |
| 4. Julia Giddy | University of Johannesburg |
| 5. Chernay Johnson | insight2impact facility (i2i) |
| 6. Patrick Karanja | Rockefeller Foundation |
| 7. Bitange Ndemo | University of Nairobi |
| 8. Eleanor Marchant | University of Oxford |
| 9. Elvis Melia | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit |
| 10. Evan Jones | Business Process Enabling South Africa |
| 11. Bundi Teresios | Researcher and Gig Worker |
| 12. Alison Gillwald | Research ICT Africa |
| 13. Lauren Graham | University of Johannesburg |
| 14. Rod Jones | Rod Jones Consulting |
| 15. Suzana Moreira | moWoza |
| 16. Timothy Mruttu | BambaPOS |
| 17. Paul Mungai | University of Cape Town |
| 18. Brian Omwenga | Techno Innovators SACCO |
| 19. Martin Dittus | University of Oxford |
| 20. Sanna Ojanperä | University of Oxford |
| 21. Michel Wahome | University of Oxford |
| 22. Jamie Woodcock | University of Oxford |
| 23. Mohammad Amir Anwar | University of Oxford |
Photographs
Photos of the event can be accessed in this photo album.
Acknowledgements
Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, School of Tourism and Hospitality at the University of Johannesburg, and Research ICT Africa have partnered with us to make this conference possible.
For further information and in order to register for this free event, please sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/geonet-conference-south-africa-2019-tickets-58444446914