APRM and Cryptosavannah to cooperate on promoting innovation and 4th industrial revolution in Africa

The APRM and CryptoSavannah on May 23^rd entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on promoting innovation and the 4th Industrial Revolution in Africa, through collaboration on various engagements including,

The Africa 4.0 Initiative and the Africa Blockchain Conference, among others.  

The Africa Peer Review Mechanism considers innovation as a in important component and are interested in working together on common projects with a view to using innovation to support the work of good governance, transparency and accountability in Africa.  

APRM was represented by the CEO, Prof. Eddy Maloka who said he was keen to work with progressive initiatives and innovation that could support the work of good governance in Africa.

CryptoSavannah which was represented by the CEO, Mr. Kwame Rugunda as well as Mr. Edmond Macheli, who thanked APRM for their support and applauded their commitment to use modern technology to support the work of good governance in Africa.

Mr. Rugunda also extended an invitation to APRM to Uganda in July for the Africa Blockchain Conference, whose theme Africa 4.0 will focus on preparing Africa for the 4th Industrial Revolution. 

Following the signing of the MoU, the APRM invited CryptoSavannah to their next meeting in June in Zanzibar for further engagement on the use of innovation to enhance the work of good governance, transparency and accountability in Africa. 

On the 3^rd and 4^th July 2019, CryptoSavannah, the Blockchain Association of Uganda, Africa 2.0 Foundation and Ubuntu Coin working in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance will host the 2^nd edition of the Africa Blockchain Conference, at the Kampala Serena Conference Center.

The conference theme “Africa 4.0:  Preparing Africa for the 4^th Industrial Revolution” will focus on what the 4^th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is, what opportunities it presents, what threats it poses and what Africa must do to leverage 4IR for its development.

Alongside the conference, will run the “Africa 4.0 Tech Expo,” an experiential journey showcasing the leading technology innovations and applications in Africa. The Conference and Tech Expo will host 3,000 people, comprising the public and private sector, experts and leaders from global technology companies, entrepreneurs, innovators, youth and government representatives.

Topics to be discussed include: (i) Africa’s readiness for the 4^th Industrial Revolution, (ii) Fintech, payment systems and digital financial services, (iii) The future of work and education, (iv) SDGs and technology for impact. 

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), also known as Industry 4.0, is a new chapter in human development, that is enabled by extraordinary technology advances, and is fundamentally changing the way we live, work and relate to one another.

These technology advances including Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), Drones and Robotics, among others are merging the physical, digital and biological spheres in ways that create both huge promise and potential peril.

The speed, breadth and depth of 4^th Industrial Revolution is forcing us to rethink how countries develop, how organisations create value, and even what it means to be human.