“We survived the first three industrial revolutions on a hunch. We will not survive the fourth industrial revolution if we approach it with the same attitude.”
This was the opening statement from Sonwabise Sebata, head of Africa PR and communications for the Middle East and Africa at Refinitiv, who was speaking at the second annual Internet Summit, organised by Imbizo Events at the Southern Sun Cape Sun Hotel in Cape Town yesterday.
What do we need to make it through the fourth industrial revolution? According to Sebata, the answer is data.
Relaying a story from her childhood, she explained that when she was growing up, she used to buy a pie from her local pie shop every morning on her way to school. The shopkeeper knew all of his customers so well that he knew what time his customers would arrive each day and what pie they would order.
“He had collected all of this data about us and this meant that he had a group of loyal customers for a time period that spanned our entire school careers,” she explained. “I don’t eat pies anymore, but I do understand how this simple pie shop owner can serve as an example for bigger businesses.”
For Sebata, the fourth industrial revolution should be seen as an opportunity, not a challenge. Just take a look at what we can do today that was previously unimaginable, and so much of this is possible thanks to the Internet, she explained.
The Internet is meant to change how businesses interact with each other and how societies interact with each other. It is meant to transform how economies work and how citizens engage with governments and with each other, she noted.
Discussing some of the key barriers to Internet inclusion, Phumza Dyani, chief sales and marketing officer for Broadband Infraco, highlighted the need for enhanced infrastructure, greater affordability and improved access and training.
“But it’s not just about dumping infrastructure to people in rural environments. It’s about digging deeper and helping people to create ecosystems that give these individuals the opportunity to access resources and contribute towards the local economy,” said Dyani.
This is exactly what SA Connect, a government broadband project, aims to do, she added. An initiative that has been in the works since 2013, SA Connect intends to take technology and the Internet to the masses and to connect various educational, law enforcement and healthcare facilities across the country.
“We know that there is power in the Internet,” concluded Dyani. “Now we just need to successfully unlock it.”
Share