4 ways African governments can bridge the digital skills gap for a post-COVID economic recovery

4 ways African governments can bridge the digital skills gap for a post-COVID economic recovery

In a post COVID-19 world, it will be more urgent than ever to find intelligent, data-driven solutions to the most pressing problems in Africa.. Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, like Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and big data are fast-tracking the digital transformation in numerous sectors across the continent.. While emerging technologies have the potential to be a much-needed response to some of Africa's issues, they inevitably will change the nature of jobs.. Developing digital and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills are critical to unlock opportunities.. Formalizing the non-traditional certification programmes becomes an even more urgent task for African governments when you consider that, despite the plethora of data available to solve the continent's issues, very few African tertiary institutions currently offer degrees in data science or machine learning.. Read more about our results, and ongoing efforts to ensure access to the internet for all in our impact story .. Developed in cooperation with the Dubai Future Foundation, the Smart City University is a blockchain-powered decentralized learning platform that supports the development of digital skills.. The solution isn't simple, but the use of advanced artificial intelligence can change the way people learn