Michelle Umurungi

This session is open to anyone interested in the digital space in Africa, with a focus on inspiring and guiding young people on how to make an impact in the industry. Attendees can expect to gain insights into the experiences of young African trailblazers, learn about the challenges and opportunities available in the digital industry in Africa, and be inspired to take action and make a positive impact.

The Smart Africa Digitalization Acceleration Program (SADAP) is a new initiative by Smart Africa to support member states on their national digital transformation programs, leveraging digitalization to accelerate Africa's socio-economic transformation. In collaboration with the Digital Impact Alliance at the United Nation Foundation, SADAP conducted a benchmarking study across ten member countries and identified gaps/needs. Smart Africa and UNF/DIAL jointly supported the Government of Sierra Leone to address these needs, based on considerations such as a national digital strategy under implementation, strong government institutions, and finalized digital economy strategy. In 2021, DIAL/UNF in collaboration with Smart Africa supported the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Information and Communications to co-create solutions. A peer learning workshop is being organized to validate and learn from peers on the case study of Sierra Leone. This workshop is proposed to be held in a 3-hour closed session of invited country representatives and other stakeholders during Transform Africa.

Across Africa, millions of people remain excluded from critical, life-enhancing services, such as access to water, energy, sanitation, education, and health care. In this context, Impact Tech Startups (ITSs) have emerged as a new type of development actor with the potential to solve the service delivery gap. Although positive examples abound, ITSs have not yet fully realized their potential in Africa. With variations across sectors, many ITSs struggle to scale up and develop sustainable models. Against this backdrop, the Transform Africa Summit (TAS)2023, shall host a panel discussion to: Discuss the trends that are shaping the rise of ITSs in Africa Highlight the challenges faced by ITSs in Africa and how best we can confront them. Explore modalities on how we can create a supportive ecosystem, or enabling environment which would allow ITSs to thrive and grow in Africa.