6
vritti
January 2020
The first panelist, Rob Nail, Chief Executive
Officer (CEO), Singularity University, offered
his perspective on technology uptake. He
stressed that while the general expectation
from any new technology is immediate (and
phenomenal) uptake, this is a far cry from
reality. Honestly, I couldn't agree more,
technologies take time to reach an inflection
point. Consider mobile banking and digital
financial services. Initial adoption was sluggish
(to say the least) in most countries, before an
inflection point was reached. Thereafter,
uptake took off significantly, to put it mildly.
Next up was H.E. Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid,
commissioner of Infrastructure and Energy,
the African Union. She passionately aired her
views on the transformation the continent is
undergoing, what with the uptake of artificial
intelligence, et all. Her optimism was infectious; it
spurred me to ensure our efforts in Africa
increase multifold. Equally moving was Gregory
Rockson, CEO, mPharma, who showcased the
importance of leveraging technology to make
medical treatment affordable for all. Last but
certainly not the least, was Natalie Jabangwe,
CEO, EcoCash. She highlighted how
Zimbabwe has transformed into a digital-first
financial services economy, whilst stressing
upon the importance of financial inclusion.
On my part, I felt it pertinent to highlight the
role India was playing in the field of digital
financial services. As is common knowledge,
India was one of the early adopters of digital
financial services in the developing world.
Changing Lives
On my part, I felt it pertinent
to highlight the role India was
playing in the field of digital
financial services. As is common
knowledge, India was one of
the early adopters of digital
financial services in the
developing world.