Tag: digital inclusion

The loudest noise at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in March was reserved not for new products, but for debates around who gets to set the agenda for the future. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the heart of the debate, and technologies like 5G-advanced and quantum computing vying for attention, the focus was almost entirely on the roles played by Europe, China and the USA in regulating and rolling out new technology.

Google is betting big on South Africa’s digital future. It is projecting R90 billion in economic output resulting from its new Johannesburg cloud region.

With citizens, governments, and businesses more dependent than ever on digital connectivity, one of the most pressing sectoral issues for this decade is cybersecurity. While this issue has been in the public consciousness for some time now, there is still a wide perception gap between organisational executives, who feel positively about their cyber resilience, and security leaders who do not.

Despite current recessionary conditions and upended risk models, the global insurance industry will grow by $1.4 trillion between 2020 and 2025, according to our recent report. To capture a share of this growth and defend their place in the insurance value chain, insurers must reflect on where the industry is heading.

The internet is disruptive by nature. It has transformed the way societies and economies work, communicate and play, businesses operate, and how governments deliver services to citizens. Digital technologies are paving the way forward for rapid innovation, economic growth, and job creation.

As we navigate the turmoil and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, all eyes are on keeping each other safe while preparing for a post-pandemic world. The custodians of this post-pandemic future are young people – and when one considers that the official unemployment rate for people under 35 in South Africa is 46.3%, the urgency of meaningful and sustained youth empowerment cannot be understated.