Over 4,000 delegates from 75 countries will this week converge in Kigali for this year’s Transform Africa Summit, the largest gathering of stakeholders within the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) space on the continent. The fourth Transform Africa Summit (TAS) will get underway today at the Kigali Convention Centre, under the theme ‘Accelerating Africa’s Single Digital Market’. This Monday, the summit will kick off with an Economic Forum. Speaking to The New Times, Jean-Philbert Nsengimana, the special advisor to the executive secretary of Smart Africa, the organisers of the summit, the inaugural Economic Forum is a key differentiator of this year’s summit, said highlighting that the event will be different from previous editions. “The inaugural (economic) forum will discuss how to use ICT to drive the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Also, several announcements and agreements will be signed to advance broadband, smart cities, research and development, tech innovation, space and satellite technology,” he told The New Times. The inaugural Economic Forum will be discussing the role and power of digital technologies to accelerate the pace towards AfCFTA goals and to make Africa more competitive outwardly. According to the programme, this session is expected to highlight potential crossborder initiatives for investment and partnership opportunities relevant to AfCFTA. Generally, the summit will hold discussions on key technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual and Augmented reality, drones, robotics, 3D printing, Block-Chain, Green Energy, FinTech and other cutting-edge topics. Key sideline events include the Smart Africa Women’s Summit, the Ms Geek Africa Competition, while the summit will conclude with the golf tournament on Thursday. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
