The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and there is much excitement in the developed world when looked at from the lens of lifestyle improvement. But as Africans when “topics” like these are mentioned we are ever so dismissive, in a way that can be described as” that’s cool but these things won’t be of any use in Africa for at least 100 years.
This may be true for the more ambitious aspects of this revolution such as Autonomous driving or Robots at checkout counters but there are a lot of areas we can not only incorporate but pioneer.
As the country with Africa’s largest economy with some margin, Nigeria should be leading the charge in this regard within the African continent. The term “should” however, provides no solution to the reality.
Let’s face this “reality,” Nigeria has yet to scratch the surface in terms of being involved in the 4th revolution. In fact, on a practical level we are still wrestling with implementing aspects of the 3rd industrial revolution. With large expanses of the country still unconnected, many areas are still left with little exposure to technology with the frustrating thorn in our side that is our power system. There is little evidence on the surface as to how we can even hope to compete when these basic power solutions cannot be met even by international standards. Nigeria needs to remodel its ambition. This is what sets countries apart and is why nations we were once on par with are seemingly leaving us in the dust. If this ambition trickles down into society it serves as a vehicle of inspiration and creates a culture that begins to see technology for what it is; an indispensable tool for ameliorating the economy in the modern era.
This ambition should be displayed in both the public and private sectors.
We need public figures and leaders in the private sector that are able to understand and see the direct correlation between technology and progression and see us as the potential pioneers we can be, not constantly lagging behind and waiting for the developed nations to pave the way for us.
Private sectors also need to embrace the technological aspect of growth too by actively searching for new and unique methods to improve business efficiency through digital transformation.
When it comes to digital transformation Nigeria’s banking industry is already excelling at this. I always tell people, the IT infrastructure around banks these days rivals that of any country in the world…if not better. Why though? Why have banks pulled so far ahead of every other sector? I reckon the key term here is adaptability — banks have figured exactly how to take advantage of this revolution while keeping Nigeria’s unique circumstances in mind. Don’t have internet activity all the time? Not to worry, you can bank using dial codes. Want small quick loans to address periodic financial deficiencies? Download the app and get loans of up to N20k with low interest.
In contrast to this, as someone who just recently stepped out of the litigation aspect of legal practice, I can’t even begin to elucidate how digitisation is shunned. It is not that the lawyers don’t want it, a good chunk of Nigerian lawyers are technologically savvy with foreign degrees to boot. It’s the legal system that rejects this change partly because of an archaic ecosystem that if removed, would disrupt certain established benefit structures that have been built around this ecosystem.
And same is true for most other sectors.
Nigerians have accomplished incredible feats on a global scale, and this is a clear indication of our ability to impact at the forefront of technology — from building solar powered cars (Segun Oyeyiola) to solving complex unsolved mathematical equations(Chike Obi, Fermats Last Theorem) and more recently the revolutionary app, Calendly, built by Mr. Tope Awotona. The potential is here.
For the conscious man aware of Nigeria’s potential, it is a great source of frustration to see the most prominent IT establishments stemming from America, China or Europe. What stops Africa from reaching these heights as well? Is it the historical factor? Excuses lose validity in this regard, thanks to the Internet, the ease of travel and improved communication the means and tools are at our fingertips. Have we resigned ourselves to the fate of followers rather than pioneers? This is where vision comes into play and the driving ambition to realise this goal.
Without this we will continue to see our greatest minds poached by nations who have this vision, further accelerating the aptly coined “brain drain” of Africa.
In shaping this vision we must set our sights on Three main areas, namely:
1. The development of a technological understanding
2. Development of appropriate infrastructure
3. Ensuring a proper regulatory environment
Nigeria must set its sights on getting these three pillars erected and doing so with the underlying ambition to lead in pioneering technology. This will not happen overnight, but we must painstakingly work at getting there!
Chuba is a Legal and Corporate Executive at 3 Wise Pixels. Learn more about 3WP here.
