Africa must invest more in education infrastructure towards digital space, says Selorm Adadevoh
The chief commercial manager of the MTN Group, Selorm Adadevoh, has said that Africa needs to invest more in education infrastructure towards the digital space.
Adadevoh said Africa will not derive the right benefit from its infrastructure if the continent does not invest in its youth through skills training.
He said there is a need for Africans to change their mindset towards the development of the right infrastructure to develop the digital space.
Adadevoh urged Africa not to continue to “sell its birth rights”.
Speaking in a panel discussion on the second day of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues at the Presidential Lodge in Peduase, Eastern Region, the chief commercial manager of the MTN Group said: “What we need to get to the front of the line is really people, skills and how to finance and fund technology but it is also how we dictate our own solutions through research … the chain of influencing infrastructure transformation start off with how we ourselves believe in the journey that’s required and what sacrifices that we make in Africa to turn around in terms of infrastructure.”
He added, “… if we look at our educational system, we are trying to build a demand for technology, innovation and solutions, I would actually start that journey with an investment in education and significantly transforming our education system and educational infrastructure towards a more digital one.”
Adadevoh added: “If we invest in infrastructure without investing in the skills then we’ll never seek to actually derive the benefit from that infrastructure to enable us to continue to invest.
“So, investing in infrastructure alone is not the solution but creating the demand so that we can leverage the infrastructure that we create,” he said.
The three-day event ends tomorrow (Saturday 27 January 2024) and its overarching focus is the need to propose concrete measures that will lead to Africans achieving prosperity for the African continent.
The theme of the event is “Delivering Prosperity in Africa: Produce, Add Value and Trade”.
