Africa Must Leverage Fourth Industrial Revolution For Sustainable Development

Africa is poised for transformation through the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), and experts are urging governments to seize this opportunity for sustainable development and growth. They made this declaration at the recent SmartBlock4Africa conference hosted in Babcock University in collaboration with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Valley View University, Ghana. “Through cutting-edge tech and discussions, Africa can l transform the world,” said Babcock University President/Vice Chancellor, Professor Ademola Tayo while acknowledging the conference’s timeliness especially in fostering intellectual development. “I commend the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for choosing Babcock to chart solutions to Africa’s challenges.”

Expressing similar views, LOC Chair and Babcock faculty, Professor Oludele Awodele, is optimistic about Africa’s future through blockchain particularly in managing big data. He noted that the 4IR, characterized by emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), has the potential to transform various sectors such as healthcare, energy, agriculture, education, and governance. Also expressing similar views, Professor Ifeyinwa Achumba, IEEE Chair Nigeria sector warned that Africa must adopt digital interventions across various sectors to achieve sustainable development. This requires awareness, multi-stakeholder participation, public-private partnerships, education and talent development. She stated that Africa must not miss out on the opportunities presented by the 4IR, having missed out on the benefits of the previous three industrial revolutions. “To achieve sustainable development, Africa must adopt digital interventions across various sectors,” said Professor Achumba, represented by Engineer Gerald Okafor.