Experts rising from a three-day 5th annual Global Technology Conference have predicted continued strong growth in the technology sector across Africa.
A statement by DHL, organisers of the conference in Dubai last month, said that savvy entrepreneurs such as Shagaya and Oviosu would lead the way in e-commerce and mobile payments.
The statement noted that they would also take the lead in the technology segments such as mobile phones which were still growing at a rapid pace.
It predicted that internet usage on mobile phones would increase 20-fold in the next five years in Africa, which was double the rate of growth in the rest of the world.
It added that delegates learnt about African consumers’ preferences, such as paying retailers via mobile phone rather than cash and an increasing appetite for well-priced mobile devices, fuelled by a rapidly growing middle class.
The statement said that discussions were also held around Africa’s potential for becoming a manufacturing destination for technology goods.
It quoted Rob Siegers, President, Global Technology Sector, DHL, as saying: “The technology sector is a highly dynamic industry and the pace of change is rapid.
“We currently see two distinct trends — the advance of new technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing and others.
“These are changing business models as technology companies are looking to enhance their products by building services around them and an increasing focus on tapping into growth in emerging nations.
“While growth is slowing in some of the traditional markets, emerging nations are gaining importance for technology companies, and Africa is of particular interest to many of our customers.’’
The statement said this year’s conference was aimed to connect customers with experts who were already successfully running their businesses in Africa.
It said the workshops were tailored to give unique insights into doing business on the continent and facilitate knowledge sharing and networking.
The statement also quoted Charles Brewer, Managing Director of DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa as saying that “we had a team of logistics experts from across Africa on hand to facilitate knowledge sharing and networking.
“Demonstrating that DHL is a strong partner to the technology sector across the continent.
“We have been in Africa for 37 years and are well positioned to support customers with their end-to-end supply chains and tailor-made logistics solutions to help them overcome challenges and tap into the continent’s tremendous growth opportunities.”
DHL, a global brand in the logistics industry, offers an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services from national and international parcel delivery, to international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management.
With its more than 325,000 employees in over 220 countries and territories worldwide, they connect people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 56 billion euros in 2014.

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