Africa to Wait 20 Years for Digital Singularity

Digital singularity, otherwise the merging of machine and mind dominance would have to wait another 20 years because African leaders have not made any deliberate effort to transit the continent from a passive consumer to a dominant innovator and producer of technology, according to Dr. Evans Woherem, chairman, Digital Africa (Nigeria).

In simple terms, the singularity, is a hypothetical moment in time when artificial intelligence will have progressed to the point of a greater-than-human intelligence, radically changing civilization, and perhaps human nature

Woherem said that the measures to transit must include policies that will aggregate tech savvy spirits among the youths, who are currently enmeshed in the consumerism of IT products.

Speaking to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek during a Press Conference, at the weekend,  Woherem, however, said that African youths, who are the techpreneurs to drive digital revolution need enabling environment, electricity, and broadband availability and affordability to join their counterparts in other Continents in the revolution.

“Today, we are lags with regards to IT; we are very far behind the rest of the world. We need to forge ahead. The truth is that most of our youths today who constitute the majority of the Africa’s population are the ones to make digital singularity happen in Africa. The way things are going now and based on the enthusiasms, policy formulations, Africa can actually achieve the digital singularity within the next 20 years.

“A lot of the youths are at home with the technologies already in place. They are at home with it in terms of how to participate in usage. They are not just going to continue to use them, but they are our major hopes in innovation and articulation of IT development in Africa.

“We also believe there are a lot government needs to do. They need to come out with enabling policies that will encourage IT development and usage in the respective African countries. Some of the propelling factors are electricity; it is always highly needed, telecommunications need encouragement as well. The industry is always a boost to digital revolution. Africa also needs to ensure that our telecommunication is ‘broadband enough’ for us to be able to move to the right time with data into the new ecosystem”  he said