The Nation Newspaper

Category: e-Business

  • Group seeks end to online citizens surveillance

    The African ICT Foundation has called on state and non-state actors to end Illegal surveillance, control and interception of online user communication, describing it as fundamentally detrimental to the security and reliability of the Internet.

    According to the Foundation, every individual has the right to enjoy secure connections to and over the Internet.

    Speaking at a two-day workshop on Digital Skills Empowerment for Undergraduates at the Abomey Calavi Universitie, Cotonou, its Regional Director, Repulic of Benin, Dr. Kossi Amessinou, said: “Everyone has the right to communicate anonymously on the Internet, as well as to use the appropriate technology to ensure secure, private and anonymous communication.”

    He said the collection, retention, use and disclosure of personal data or information must be in accordance with a transparent privacy policy that allows individuals to know what data or information is being collected about them and to rectify inaccurate information and to protect such data or information against disclosures that they would not have authorised.

    He said the Foundation  insists that  monitoring of communications must be authorised by the courts and individuals under surveillance must be informed as soon as possible after the conclusion of the surveillance operation that their communications have been intercepted stressing that mass surveillance must be prohibited by law.

    Read Also: Ministry, ICT stakeholders to partner on curbing technology importation

    Amessinou said African governments must work towards the adoption of the African Declaration of Internet Rights and Freedoms in their respective countries and seek the ratification and enforcement of all international and regional treaties related to the protection of human rights on the internet in their respective countries.

    He said: “Access to the internet should be available and accessible to all in Africa without discrimination. Policies and regulations on Internet access and accessibility that promote equal and universal access to the Internet must be adopted. The cuts or slowing down of access to the Internet or parts of it for entire populations or segments of the public should not be allowed on any grounds.”

    While advocating full, active and equal participation of women in decision-making on the form and management of the Internet, he said that the Foundation is concerned about the role of women and girls stressing that women and girls should have the means to take action against gender inequality on the internet.

    He said it was time African nations eliminated gender-related discrimination against women and the girl-child, saying: “Men and women should have equal access to learning, definition, access, use and configuration. of the internet.”

  • ASCON seeks collaboration with NCC for protection of submarine cables

    The Association of Submarine Cable Operators of Nigeria (ASCON) has requested for collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) towards protection of submarine fibre optic cables in the nation. 

    This collaboration, it said, was necessary in view of the crucial role submarine cables play in towards providing broadband services  and how it impacts significantly on the everyday life of Nigerians. 

    The group was also emphasised these cables are vulnerable to damages resulting from external aggression occasioned by human maritime activities that impact the seabed.

    Examples of such activities are ship anchoring, dredging, harmful fishing practices like bottom trawl fishing, unguided pipeline installations and maintenance etc.”

    The Association noted the cost of repairing damage to submarine cables was huge and could range from $1m to $3m to repair a single fault.”

    The group said its members spend between $1million and $3million to fix the vandalism.

    The President, Mr. Ifeloju Alakija, who led members of the association on a visit to the NCC, said it was important that the regulator intervenes towards ensuring that submarine cables are regarded as critical national infrastructure, and adequately protected from damages occasioned by human activities that occur on the ocean floor.

    Alakija lamented that over the years, the five operators of submarine cable in the country have been victims of 13 aggression.

    “We are seeking areas of possible collaboration with NCC towards achieving solutions to the challenges within the submarine cable segment of the Telecoms industry.

    Read Also: NCC: telecoms sector needs $136b investment

    “We would also be happy to hear your perspectives on some of the key issues regarding the management, operations and protection of submarine cable infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure in Nigeria.

    “In Nigeria we have the benefit of having five of such cables landing on our shore and delivering over 40 terabytes of internet traffic capacity. These cables are the SAT3 cable, MainOne cable, Glo1 cable, ACE cable, and WACS cable, landed by Natcom, MainOne, Glo 1, Dolphin Telecom and MTN,” Alakija said.

    He said most of the damages were caused by fishing and shipping activities, dredging and trawling among others, while challenges of unapproved new pipeline installations, unguided maintenance of pipelines and revamping of unused old blocks also affect the operations of the sector.

    He assured that the association would further partner with other regulators and associations such as Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NipeX), Shippers Council, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), and Trawlers Association of Nigeria (TAN) to address the challenges facing the sector.

    The NCC said the  Federal Government and the Commission  were taking the issue of infrastructure very seriously to address the challenges as telecom infrastructure remain critical to the socio-economic development and transformation of the country.

    The Director of Special Duties,  Oluwatoyin Asaju, said the NCC would not only partner ASCON, but also fast-track the process and procedures for legislations that would ensure the protection of submarine cables.

  • Huawei unveils Y9 Prime 2019 in Nigeria

    Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) has unveiled Huawei Y9 Prime 2019, the latest Y Series device, a line of smartphones that caters to the younger generation to realise their true potential.

    The device which was unveiled at Huawei Head Office at Oriental Hotel, Lagos, packs premium features and innovations which include a new and improved display and a revolutionary auto pop-up front camera.

    The OEM, in a statement, said  the smartphone is a very compelling product especially in today’s video-centric social media landscape at a pocket-friendly  price of N83,900.

    It added that the device will be available for Pre-Order from July 15 on Jumia, 3CHUB, Pointek and SLOT stores nationwide in three colors: Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green. Huawei is offering customers that pre-order a free package and a chance to win a surprise delivery from a Ceec, Timini or Sharon Ooja. The smartphone will be available from July 22 nationwide

    Designed for users who demand the most out of their screens, the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 boasts an all new Ultra full view Display which is not interrupted by any notches creating a seamless viewing experience. Sized at a massive 6.59 inches with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 FHD+ and an aspect ratio of 19:5:9, the display is 91 per cent pure screen estate, allowing users to enjoy a display like never before. The display is also capable of authentic and rich colors with a wide color gamut of 85 per cent. Be it watching videos, browsing social media or any simple task, the device promises users with an immersive viewing experience without any interruptions.

    However, a display like this can result in extensive usage. Huawei has taken care of this as well, thanks to the TÜV Rheinland’s certified Low Blue Light Eye Protection. The screen filters out harmful blue light emissions and intelligently adjusts color temperature and brightness to protect against eye strain. Additionally, when in low light situations, the screen brightness can also be brought down to two nits for a more comfortable viewing experience.

    The Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 boasts a design style that is divided in thirds. The upper third houses the Triple camera and fingerprint sensor, while the bottom two-thirds has a minimalistic look with a darker hue.

    Even with its massive 6.59 inch bezel-less display, the smartphone is still comfortable to hold and is complemented by the overall 3D Arc Design that shines like glass, while still being durable and shatter-resistant, making it both visually appealing and functional.

    While most phones use the bezels and notches to house the front camera and various other sensors, the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 uses clever and innovative design to hide these sensors, but the front camera position is a sign of Huawei’s innovative technologies. Seemingly invisible, the front camera is tucked away and will only appear when needed. Once the camera is turned on and selfie mode is selected, the front camera will pop-up automatically out of the top of the phone. Additionally, it also includes an intelligent protective feature that detects free falls and automatically retracts the lens as much as possible.

     Housing a 16MP lens and supported by Huawei’s powerful AI, the Auto Pop-up Selfie Camera is capable of identifying up to eight scenarios for accurate scene and object recognition. The upgraded AI backlight imaging technology also fixes lighting concerns retaining stunning clarity and colors for stunning selfies. Additionally, users can also enjoy stunning studio effects in their selfies including 3D Portrait Lighting.

    The Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 packs a 16MP + 8MP + 2MP triple-camera on the back. Both the 16MP primary and 8MP secondary sensors feature a 6P (six-lens plastic array) design that reproduces minute details within an image and captures more photons. As a result, the phone empowers users to recreate scenes in their full complexity, with enhanced image clarity, contrast, and overall quality.

    The 16MP primary camera’s F/1.8 aperture is a top performer, receiving 50 per cent more light than the F/2.2 aperture that is more commonly seen on the market, as well as focusing more quickly and controlling noise more effectively. The 8MP sensor offers a 120° field of view that fits more within the frame and increases visual tension, creating a three-dimensional effect that is even more mesmerizing due to the bezel-less display. The 2MP sensor assists the primary camera in generating a lifelike depth of field in the photo, enabling SLR-quality images on a palm-sized handset. The powerful cameras also house a stunning Night Mode with AI Stabilization for low light photos and videos. The AI Stabilization also helps in shooting Super Slow-Motion videos at a stunning 480fps.

    Under the hood, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 houses an Ultra Large 4000 mAh battery for extended periods of intensive use. The HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 uses a Type-C port, which is smaller, faster and reversible. Additionally, you can still find the 3.5mm headphone jack as well.

    Powered by the Kirin 710F chipset, the phone promises super smooth performance. The chipset is 30% more efficient than its predecessor and manages phone heating during complex resource allocation, saving battery life. The HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 runs Android 9.0 with the EMUI 9.0, which learns and analyzes user behavior which enables a more optimized user experience and has a 12.9% higher performance. The system is further optimized by F2Fs 2.0 (Flash-Friendly File System) and EROFS (Extendable Read-Only File System), which provides better memory management, improving performance and speed. In terms of storage, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 comes with 4GB RAM and 128GB ROM and an Expanded Memory up to 512GB.

    In order to provide a more enhanced gaming experience, the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify gaming scenarios and match them with real-life sensations.

  • Fed Govt seeks HP’s partnership on counterfeiting

    The Federal Government may have jettisoned its local contenet policy in the information communication technology (ICT) sector as it has promised to embark on general survey on HP computers and toners, partner the foreign original equipment manufacturer  (OEM)  to procure its genuine products for maximum output.

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications, Mr. Musa Istifanus, made the promise during a meeting between officials of the Ministry and a delegation of HP Computer Manufacturers Company in Abuja at the weekend.

    Analysts say this contradicts government’s position on local content policy as contained in ‘Executive Order 5 for Planning and Execution of Projects, Promotion of Nigerian Content in Contracts and Science, Engineering and Technology’ (the Order) signed into law last year by by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Represented by Director, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Mrs. Monilola Udoh, the permanent secretary described the rate of counterfeit products in the country as a problem and worrisome, assuring that the Federal Ministry of Communications would take a lead to survey all HP computers in the Federal Government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

    “We will encourage registration with HP to supply genuine computer systems and parts, service the bad ones through their certified engineers and distributors to put an end to the ugly trend of illegal distributors who make consumers to pay more for bad products that end up not serving their purposes,” Istifanus said.

    He regretted that there are so many fake products in the market hence and urged the company to intensify enlightenment campaigns and workshops to educate consumers on how to identify fake products and their implications on their (consumers) economy.

    He also urged the firm to organise a workshop for all procurement directors in the MDAs to sensitise them on the negative effects of counterfeit products, how they affect manpower and how to avoid falling victims so that public funds would not be wasted on buying products that would not serve their purposes.

    He said product counterfeiting is a general problem, thus, Federal Ministry of communications would partner the company to avoid patronising fake products and secure toners service programme from it (HP) to safe the Federal government from avoidable costs

    In a remark at the meeting, Manager, HP Company, Emmanuel Eze said the firm is determined to provide consumers satisfaction having put in place certain control measures such as buying the products through authorised distributors and retailers, monitoring their activities while enlightening the beneficiaries on how to avoid counterfeit products.

    In a presentation at the meeting, the Business Manager (HP), Olamide Ojo said there are so many counterfeit products in the market which according to him, is a global phenomenon not peculiar to Nigeria alone, where illegal manufacturers fake their products to look like the originals which at the end failed to serve the consumers.

    According to him, the ugly trend of counterfeit products has not only cost the company millions of dollars but has also cost unsuspecting consumers their hard earned money and rid them from consumer satisfaction.

    The meeting which was meant to address the increasing rate of counterfeiting HP products in the market with the view to address the menace so that the Federal government and unsuspecting consumers would not lose their hard earned money to buy fake products that would not stand the test of time after they were purchased.

  • ‘Digitalisation is future of banking’

    A leading lender, Standard Chartered , has said the future of banking is in digitalisation.

    It,  therefore, plans to accelerate the momentum of its digital strategy bank across Africa in a multi-market launch in order to expand with the growing economy and population.

    Its Regional Chief Executive Officer, Africa and Middle East, Sunil Kaushal, said the  digital banking solution provides the bank’s customers across Africa with affordable, convenient, fast and easily accessible bank services.

    “The growing population of Africa is demanding faster and more convenient banking and it has been very rewarding to witness increased acceptance and a growing demand for our digital products across the continent. As a result, we are delighted to expand our digital banking experience across three new African markets. As a leading international bank in Africa, Standard Chartered is committed to supporting the continent’s technological transformation by reshaping the banking industry and breaking down traditional barriers. We look forward to continuing the momentum across Africa and continuing to provide our customers with advanced banking experiences,” he said.

    He said the bank will continue its digital expansion in African markets with another launch planned in September for Nigeria.  This plan of expansion in Africa is necessitated by the need  to give wider access to digital services  most especially in Africa which is growing in its economy as well as its population.

    Although Nigeria is set for social banking solution launch in September, digital banking is available in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Standard Chartered is set to launch in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania, Kaushal said.

    By digitalising the entire banking experience, customers will be able to enjoy simple, secure, affordable and interruptive banking anytime, anywhere. Active customers of the digital bank will also be eligible to receive loyalty and promotions.

    Kaushal further said in just under 15 months, the bank  has launched its digital banks in eight markets across sub-Saharan Africa with impressive results. In Côte d’Ivoire, the digital bank has exceeded initial expectations with 18,000 new account openings; in Uganda it has seen an eight-fold increase in new account openings, whilst in Tanzania it has signed up more new customers since launching last year.

    In its continued efforts to meet the rising demands of Africa’s young and digitally-savvy population, Standard Chartered also launched SC Keyboard, which allows customers to access a variety of financial services from within any social or messaging platform without having to open the Banking app.  Initially launched in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania, the solution is a first for the Bank in Africa and will be rolled out to Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria throughout the rest of the year.

    The Regional Head of Retail Banking, Africa and Middle East, Jaydeep Gupta said: “Following the additional rollouts of our online retail banks across Africa, SC Keyboard is an important milestone in our digital journey. SC Keyboard was designed with our clients in mind, as users can now pay their bills, view their account balances and transfer money to their friends or family through any social or messaging platform. Increased prosperity has made the African population more financially savvy and many users seek new and easy ways to handle their money,” Gupta said.

  • ‘Jumia’ll leverage internet, data for growth’

    The Chief Executive Officer, Jumia Nigeria, Ms Juliet Anammah, said the firm would leverage the power of the internet and data to redefine the way Africans live and work.

    Speaking during a ceremony to mark the seventh anniversary of the e-commerce giant in the country, she said in the last 12  months, the firm recorded significant milestones in the  areas of customer delivery experience, e-commerce reach and expansion, and job creation and empowerment.

    She said: “Jumia’s mission is to leverage the power of the internet and data to improve everyday life of Africans. Every year we push the boundaries in line with our mission.”

    According to her, among major achievements recorded include the nationwide expansion of its last mile delivery hubs to accommodate 33 new ones.

    Others include the integration of 25 new logistics partners to its network of partners, and the addition of four major local languages to assist customers place orders by phone.

    “These are deliberate efforts towards expanding the reach of e-commerce in rural cities where prepayment had been the only payment option, thereby expanding the footprint of payment on delivery to these cities. We have also observed that some of our customers prefer to interact with our customer service agents in their various native languages. In response, we have integrated the four major local languages – Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Pidgin,” she added.

    Another strategic move towards improving delivery and helping to save money on shipping, Jumia also introduced for the first time in the the country, Jumia Prime package, a paid subscription package that enables customers to shop with zero shipping fees for a preset duration.

    Available in Lagos and Abuja, it will be extended to other cities in due course. With a Jumia prime subscription, there is no limit to how many orders a customer can make and get free shipping within the period covered in their subscription.

    Also, its Human Resources Lead, Mr Dele Awolala, said Jumia has created  jobs through its ecosystem which houses online services such as food delivery, hotel and flight booking, classified advertising, and airtime recharge.

    “We continue to see e-commerce as an enabler of job creation and empowerment. We have over 2,000 people directly employed in Nigeria and potentially another 850 through our ecosystem of partners.”

  • Afreximbank mulls African payment, settlement platform

    The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) said it will launch its new Pan-African Payment and Settlement (PAPS) platform to ease transaction on the continent.

    Its President, Prof Benedict Oramah, explained that PAPS, which will be available on mobile devices, will facilitate the clearing and settlement of intra-African trade transactions in African currencies and significantly reduce the dependence on U.S. dollars and other hard currencies in the settlement of regional trade.

    According to him, the bank has partnered the West African Monetary Institute (Wami) to launch a pilot in six West African countries by the end of the year. The West African Monetary Zone is the continent’s only economic community that does not already have a settlement platform – hence Afreximbank’s decision to pilot the new solution in the region.

    Previously referred to as the Intra-Africa Trade Platform, it is one of a number of new initiatives that the bank is currently implementing as part of its strategy to facilitate greater volumes of intra-African trade as well as formalise the continent’s informal trade, which is estimated by the bank to be close to $40billion.

    “Africa’s challenge when it comes to payments and settlements”, Oramah explained, “comes down to the fact that it has multiple local currencies, meaning that cross-border payments typically involve a third currency, such as the US dollar or Euro. This leads to a high cost of intra-African payments, which can take weeks to process.

    “Governments want to build their reserves so they tend to prefer exports to markets that issue hard currency. For this reason, a significant amount of cross-border trade occurs informally. The issue is compounded by the fact that most traders currently do not have a system that enables them to settle in a secure way,” Oramah said.

    He explained that with the new platform “a buyer in country A buying from a seller in country B can pay in his or her own currency for the goods, while the seller will receive his or her own currency. At the end of the day, the only countries that will have to pay dollars will be those in deficit”.

    Although Oramah agreed that it may not be possible to completely eliminate hard currencies in trade settlements, he believes that through the platform, it will be significantly reduced.

  • Owning online business is marathon not a race – Danielle Holmes

    Owning online business is marathon not a race – Danielle Holmes

    Our Reporter

    American Danielle Holmes, the Founder of Black Digital Blueprint, a platform that teaches how to grow sales using Facebook/Instagram advertisements has reeled out tips on what it entails to own an online business, describing the whole process as a marathon and not a race.

    According to her in a recent interview, “It takes just being yourself. So many people now are just trying to sell, sell online to make money. Social media is almost like a fantasy land. But people put the phone down and are living in reality. Some reality is harder than others. So being your authentic self, showing the wins and lessons, and some of your favorite places to eat, go a long way. Compared to just trying to appear perfect and/or simply sell a product. When people connect to my brand, the Danielle Holmes brand, they quickly learn that it’s forward, straight to the point, no fluff, honest and real.”

    “The main thing is, understanding it’s a marathon not a race. Being patient and allowing yourself time to learn and grow. So many people see other success stories and expect their process to look the same, when it doesn’t, they think they failed or did something wrong. That’s not the case. I guess the pitfalls will circle back to the rudiments, just giving yourself grace. We usually quit before we start. We mentally fail before we actually fail. If you can control your mind and your thoughts you can control your outcome. I know someone would rather have gotten a techno answer, but trust me for that’s the best answer. The technical stuff you can find on YouTube. This is the stuff no one really tells you,” she added.

    Speaking further she explains, “Building an online business does take time and a little bit of research. You have to understand things like Brand building, buyer psychology, copy-writing etc…that doesn’t even include marketing and advertising.”

    She said her company, Black Digital Blueprint has 6-module self-paced marketing steps.

    “We cover all of these things. These things all work together to make your ads perform and bring you an actual return! Without an understanding of these other things, your ads simply won’t do well. These things are so important that we don’t actually get into how to run ads until halfway through the THIRD module of the course

    “We teach the blueprint, not just the technology of running ads. Because running an ad from start to finish can literally be done in 2 minutes! Our students can confirm, running the ad is DEFINITELY the easy part! But, lucky for you, we’ve got you covered.”

    Danielle Holmes (30) is from Pennsylvania in the United States of America. She graduated High School, finished CNA school. She attended LPN school and RN school.

    She dropped out of RN school twice and failed out the third time in her first semester. Not that she wasn’t smart enough, as she said, but the third time she went, she had her business. So, instead of being in class focusing on the work she would be in the back, building email marketing campaigns, editing her website etc.

    She would record the lectures and made plans to listen to it when she had time but never got around to doing that. When it was time to take the test she hardly ever knew what the answers were. By the time she took her final she failed. But her gain is that she learned how to run ads a month later.

    She was raised by a single mom, no child support, no support from grandparents, aunts or uncles. It was just her mom and 3 older sisters. She was the youngest.

  • Rack Centre wins MEA Datacloud Award

    Africa’s premium Tier III certified colocation data centre services provider, Rack Centre, has emerged the winner of Excellence in Regional Data Centre Middle East and Africa.

    This is the second year the firm is clinching the coveted award at the 2019 Datacloud Awards in Monaco.

    In selecting Rack Centre for the award, the panel of judges took into account its outstanding ecosystem of robust and direct connectivity with over 35 carriers and five undersea cables; its ability to scale operations through its modular nature and its low proven Power Utilisation Effectiveness (PUE) despite a challenging climatic and infrastructural environment.

    The judges also considered the firm’s service delivery, its outstanding customer satisfaction, achievement of 100 per cent uptime since inception, and its CloudonGroundTM that offers a locally hosted and world class cloud ecosystem to Nigeria and sub Saharan Africa.

    In his reaction, the Managing Director of Rack Centre, Dr Ayotunde Coker, said: “We are truly honoured, delighted and humbled at the award, and thank the judges for recognising Rack Centre for excellence in Middle East and Africa.  A great recognition indeed from highly respected global leaders in the industry, and the leading global industry event in Monaco.”

    Read Also: Cash digitisation firm Bankly activates agents

    Held in Monaco, the Datacloud Global Award, organised by BroadGroup, publisher of the UK based Data Economy recognisesd teams, products, innovations, initiatives and projects in the global IT industry.

    Chairman of Broadgroup, Phillip Low, said the awards help to define a new era in the IT infrastructure market and acknowledges the inspirational people, innovation and excellence in the data centre, cloud and edge eco-system, and reflect the tremendous success and achievements in diversity, innovation and excellence.

    The winners were selected by judges comprising of independent panels of leading professionals from the industry who looked particularly for companies and individuals with evidences of success in performance, innovation in delivering services and high levels of industry’s excellence.

  • ‘Nigeria’s, others’ 2.3b euros digital potential untapped’

    There is a 2.3 billion euros untapped market for digital services in Nigeria and other African countries, a new report has shown.

    It said the cash would have transformed the continent’s agriculture sector.

    This information is contained in the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation Digitalisation of African Agriculture Report 2018-2019.

    The centre is a joint international institution of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and the European Union (EU). It is funded by the EU.

    It works to advance food security, resilience and inclusive economic growth in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific through innovations in sustainable agriculture. The study was compiled with strategic advisory firm, Dalberg.

    The research found that nearly 400 different digital agriculture solutions are active, with 33 million registered farmers across sub-Saharan Africa. The survey report was released last week.

    It states that 400 players were surveyed, with 175 responses received. A database of 390 active solutions was developed. More than 120 interviews were conducted with agribusiness leaders, tech experts, solution providers, academics and policymakers.

    The Dalberg team and the centre sought to analyse the state of Digitalisation for Agriculture in Africa (D4AG) and construct a current-state baseline, as well as projections for key sector characteristics and trends, using sector interviews, a survey of solutions providers and desk research.

    According to the report, some of the technology used by farmers include weather/climate, pest and disease early warning surveillance and advisory services.

    Benjamin Addom, ICT for agriculture team leader at the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, says South Africa at on par with the rest of the world regarding technology use in agriculture.

    “Because of the existence of large-scale commercial farming in SA, it can be said the country is well advanced on the continent for digitization. For smaller-scale farmers, though, the impact of digitalisation is less pronounced.”

    Centre director Michael Hailu notes digitalisation can be a turning point in transforming Africa’s agriculture.

    “This report indicates that despite challenges, the economics are rapidly improving, with a handful of players beginning to develop viable, large-scale businesses. To reach full potential, companies will now need to focus on converting customer reach to actual use in order for this type of model to yield returns.”

    Read Also: AfCFTA: Nigeria shouldn’t lead from behind

    In the report, several gaps in D4AG uptake were highlighted, especially among women, who account for more than 40 per cent of the agricultural labour force, yet comprise only a quarter of the registered users of digital services.

    Hailu says there is room for improvement when it comes to technology in agriculture in South Africa.

    “Investment in digitalisation for agriculture to date has been isolated, scattered and piecemeal, with efforts to scale-up being unnecessarily duplicated, causing inefficiencies and hampering large-scale, inclusive long-term growth.”

    He notes initial figures suggest farmers can increase their yields by up to 70 per cent with support from digital tools that provide agronomic advice, while others have seen their incomes improve by 20 per cent to 40 per cent by better linking them to markets to sell their produce, or buy agricultural inputs.

    “But this potential will not be fulfilled by chance. At such a defining moment for this burgeoning market, we will only realise the true benefit of digitalisation in African agriculture with strong, coordinated leadership,” Hailu said.

    The report made several recommendations for capitalising on the potential of digitalisation in African agriculture, including the creation of an alliance to promote partnerships and scale-up solutions, more attention to farmer data privacy and security, and further focus on measuring D4AG impacts.