A lot of things have been going on in Africa, and at long last technology is beginning to gain traction on the continent. Your editors at The African Exponent have put together a list of 7 trends in tech that you should know about.
1) e-Commerce
As more Africans get connected to the internet, more and more of their activities will shift to the internet. One of these activities has been shopping and this has given rise to a number of e-Commerce sites in Africa. This trend is expected to continue growing as the number of online shoppers increases.
2) Data Centres
As more companies find it necessary to have online presence, data centers in Africa are expected to increase. According to www.datacentermap.com, a website that tracks data centers in Africa, there are about 37 of these present on the continent today. This number will definitely increase in the next few years.
3) The Rise of the Local App
Apps have already taken over the global technology scene. In Africa though, only a handful are currently used. As smartphones become cheaper in the future, a plethora of local apps designed to solve specific local challenges will be developed.
4) Technology Venture and Private Equity funding
The rise of the technology in Africa will have to be fueled by an increase in the availability of funds to allow entrepreneurs to tinker with different ideas. Increasingly, tech focused VC and PE firms will set foot in Africa thus increasing the pool of funds available for techpreneurs.
5) Local Adoption of Cloud
Cloud technologies are generally cheaper.This has a lot of implications for Africa because it is likely that cloud services will get adopted there much faster than is generally expected. Most of these services will be provided by large, global technology players since they have the expertise and financial resources to make these investments.
6) Maturity of Mobile Payment
Mobile payment will continue to grow. Driven by penetration of smart mobile devices and better access to quality Internet access. Banks, squeezed for efficiency will also deepen marketing and support for mobile payments to create efficiency and also generate revenue. They will also develop their own mobile online capabilities so as to compete better in the market.
7) Security
As more activities are performed online, and as more people understand how computers work, the incidences of online fraud will keep increasing. Many more companies will invest in systems to secure their users data and information. Governments will have to put in place protocols for punishing those implicated in cases of online fraud and this will be especially complex given that hackers are unrestricted by national boundaries.
(Image Credit: Gradstat Maisha)