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As the COVID-19 pandemic has caused structural changes in the delivery of services both in the public and private sectors globally, African technology leaders are seeing a paradigm shift in the business landscape, especially with regard to an increase in digitisation.

As a result of these changes, the Digital Transformation Summit Africa (DTSA) 2021, scheduled to take place next month, will provide a deeper understanding of the digital transformation of organisations occasioned by the pandemic. The event, organised by Exito Media Concepts – a Bangalore, India-based business solutions company – will discuss how COVID-19 has stimulated further adoption of digital technologies in Africa.

The unprecedented disruptions caused by the restrictions put in place by governments to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease forced organisations to adapt to more technology-intensive operational models. Results of a survey by McKinsey & Company, which were published in October 2020, show that responses to COVID-19 have speeded the adoption of digital technologies by several years.

Taking place on February 25, 2021, the DTSA will provide insights into how firms across various vertical markets can leverage digitisation to unlock more business opportunities during times of crisis and convert those opportunities into real value. The summit, holding virtually, will feature a mix of international and regional keynote presentations, real time case studies, proof of concepts and fireside chats, according to a statement sent to Financial Nigeria by Exito.
 
The organiser of the event and its partners expect digital transformation to drive positive outcomes on the continent. Therefore, the DTSA 2021 is conceived as a knowledge and networking platform for a wide range of industries, companies and verticals. Experts at the event will discuss the various challenges of technology adoption in Africa, progress made so far and propose reforms to foster growth in the African business ecosystem.

Exito said the key focus of the summit is on digitising key sectors of African economies, particularly financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, technology, government and retail.  

DTSA will bring together over 200 business leaders, senior IT professionals and innovators. Speakers at the event will include Daniel Adaramola, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Unity Bank Plc; Dinis Guarda, Founder/CEO of Ztudium, a London-based maker of industry 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution) technologies; and Dario Bianchi, Chief Digital Officer at MTN Ghana; among others.  

Some of the key partners of DTSA 2021 include iGov Africa, a Kenya-based organisation that works with government and other organisations to promote innovation as a social good; Financial Nigeria, Africa's premier development and finance journal; International Business Magazine, a Dubai, UAE-based publication; and Smart Money Match, an investor and investment matching service based in Switzerland.