APA- Kigali (Rwanda) – Hundreds of Technology enthusiasts, policy makers, researchers, academia, private sector and others will on 2nd – 5th April next year descend on Nairobi, Kenya to attend the Connect Africa Summit, organisers of the event confirmed Tuesday.
According to organisers, the summit will create the platform for African Innovators to showcase their prowess and tap into the wider global economy.
Eliud Owalo, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy said on Monday that the summit seeks to drive Africa’s access to ICT and Innovation as it opens up for intra-Africa trade through the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) focusing on the digital economy.
Currently, the AfCFTA has been ratified by over 47 African Countries. It is expected to leverage ICT and the digital economy to boost trade across the continent while creating new opportunities for the continent’s growing youthful population.
Owalo noted that the summit will give Kenya an opportunity to showcase the milestones that the country has realised in the digital space as a country.
“The Connect Summit 2024 will be an opportunity to share ideas as a continent, create a learning platform for Africa in the technology space so that we learn from each other and also embrace the best-case scenarios,” he said.
Speaking on the country’s connectivity and its impact on the sector’s development, Eng. John Tanui, Principal Secretary, the State Department of ICT and Digital Economy, said, “We are ensuring that every part of the country can be connected. We are working with the private sector to connect internationally through the six submarine cables.”
“On terrestrial, we have connected all the county headquarters and we are ensuring that the broadband through fibre can be enhanced not only through the NOFBI but relying on the fibre,” he said.
Stanley Kamanguya, CEO of ICT Authority said, Connect Africa Summit 2024 will be a platform to showcase Africa’s ICT developments and connect on the developments.
“We are now scaling the Connect Summit to the continental level because we believe that as a country we have a lot to showcase and we would like to give our private sector partners and local innovators a chance to learn from what other countries are doing,” said Kamanguya.
CU/abj/APA