Experts seek heavy investments in Africa's technology revolution

KIGALI, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Technology experts from Africa and beyond on Wednesday pushed for increased investments in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry in Africa to accelerate the continent's digital revolution.

They were speaking at the Africa Tech Summit opening on Wednesday in the Rwandan capital Kigali, which aims to explore the latest trends in digital technology.

Rwanda is hosting the forum from Feb. 14 to 15, which has attracted about 250 African and international technology leaders, experts and enthusiasts.

"Africa remains one of the preferred frontiers for investment opportunities and doing business, but little investments are channeled towards ICTs which hampers the growth of the technology sector," said Proud Dzambukira, a strategic product partnerships manager of Facebook.

"In order to promote Africa as the next global technology hub, heavy investments are needed in this sector in the next 10 years."

He said Africa's infrastructure has improved over the past few years with new roads, airports, energy plants and communication networks and this should provide a solid ground for investors to massively invest in ICT.

According to Marieme Diop, investment associate at Orange Digital Ventures in Senegal, investment in technology has played a crucial role in the growth of the most developed economies in Europe, Asia, Middle East and the Americas.

"We need increased investments in ICTs to develop African economies to move from agriculture based to knowledge based. In Africa, government's budgets are often stretched, with funding being directed towards more pressing needs such as healthcare, agriculture and education," she added.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), only 22 percent of Africa's population used the Internet in 2016, compared to a global average of 44 percent. Enditem