The next edition of Transform Africa Summit (TAS) will not take place in Kigali but will be hosted by Guinea. The poster-boy of African innovations has grown in stature over the years; therefore it was inevitable that it would become a truly African affair. The current edition has been taken over by the amazing humanoid, Sophia, clad in traditional Rwandan wear and mesmerising the audience. This is the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Sophia’s presence will help bolster the field. Rwanda has quite an advanced child-friendly approach to science, especially in AI. Sophia was not the only robot at the summit, there is also Marty, a child’s best friend who’s trying hard to outshine Sophia. It is used to help children at a very early age learn how to code, and some primary school children are also attending the summit showcasing their coding skills while interacting with Marty. They are already hooked on programming, electronics and robotics and the sky is the limit. TAS is a platform to showcase Africa’s potential and exhibitors have come from all over the continent and beyond. It is a window into the future. Kenya is very much aware of the fact and there was no better platform to unveil its digital economy blueprint that it hopes it can share with other African countries. It is not the first time that Kenya shares its successful innovations; it was the pioneer of the mobile money payment system that today M-Pesa has been adopted around the world, especially in poor countries that have no efficient banking systems. TAS should be a catalyst for people to chase their digital dreams but only those who pursue them relentlessly will succeed.
