Faizel Patel – 25/08/2020
The Head of Solutions Engineering at SYSPRO Africa, Deirdre Fryer says South Africa can become a technology hub by applying new technologies in various sectors including mining, agriculture and financial services where it has a traditional advantage over its neighbours.
Fryer was speaking about how digital transformation is changing the ways businesses operate throughout the world.
New technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and predictive analytics, already have had a profound impact on the world’s economies and continue to disrupt industries.
Fryer says recognising this potential, government strategies today are emphasizing the role of digital in accelerating economic diversification, promoting sustainability and ensuring citizen happiness.
She says digitalization has been identified as a pillar that will support the future digital economies on the continent.
“Winning in the digital economy requires a combination of technical understanding, pioneering leadership, and a sense of vision and determination to encourage an ecosystem of innovation. Leaders who engage with these possibilities today could be reshaping the economy of 2030 for the greater good.”
Fryer says by placing new digital and ICT transformation programs at the heart of their national plans and through collaborations with leaders and entrepreneurs committed to building a better future, governments across the region are already leading the way in securing a viable future for their citizens while also raising their national competitiveness profile at a global level.
“Within South Africa, The National Development Plan 2030 (NDP) published in 2012 emphasizes how ICT will underpin the development of a connected information society and a vibrant knowledge economy that is more inclusive and prosperous.”
Fryer says digitisation spurs the development of new industries as in the case of e-commerce, mobile financial services, IoT, and cloud computing and these contribute to national GDP in multiple ways while also promoting growth of allied industries such as logistics, infrastructure, and payments.
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