Digital Africa 2016 edition is the fourth in the serious of successful events earlier held in 2013 , 2014, and 2015. it has attracted renowned ICD experts to discuss Africa’s ICT sector development as well as proper solution to the challenges limiting is a continent advancement to the point of digital singularity with the rest of the globe.
This year, the organisers said they would focus on Internet of Things (IoT), since it has become a global driver for technology innovation in the 21st century.
Woherem noted that the Internet of Things has became a real thing from a small and interesting topic of conversation to an industry with high potential to change the world. “In recent years. These days, many objects in our physical world are able to communicate with each other or with us through embedded sensors, tags, and actuators without human involvement.
“These ‘smart objects’ can see, hear, feel, and smell the world around them. Intelligence embedded into personal items, household appliances, cars, clothing, factory equipment, and infrastructure generates vast amounts of valuable data that can be collected, networked, and analysed for a wide range of business, societal, and personal advances,” Woherem added.
Woherem thinks on how to start being linked to every other in the world through the Internet adding that in the past, only computer servers were interconnected into the Internet, then eventually the laptops, tablets, and smartphones also got connected.
“Internet of Everything helps the cities and vehicle owners or drivers. The cities that embrace technology in the future will be the winners in the management of the increasing sizes of cities due to rural to city migration. Barcelona is one of those cities doing that today through the Internet of Everything (IoE),” he said.
“It is full of innovation and transforming into a smart city through the Internet of Everything. Job creation has increased due to smart city implementation. Elderly ones can put a piece of technology on their necks that helps them to be much more independent and enriches their quality of life. The Internet of Everything is also helping to remove the silos in departments and how many things were done,” Woherem added.
Woherem also said that Africa needs leaders that have a good vision of the modern Africa, countries, cities and villages they want to create to modernise, enhance economic growth, increase standard of living, make life more pleasant and convenient for her people. He urged Africa to get ready to embrace the new trend, Internet of Things.
“Since the evolution of the first and second industrial revolutions till date, Africa has been at the lower rung of the technology league table. Hence, Africa is the least developed continent economically and so the weakest in power, for there is a positive correlation between having technology and economic development. Europe, supported heavily by technology, started the first and second industrial revolutions with the US, and Asia followed, through Japan,” he stated.