World Economic Forum 2016: How will Africa Fare in the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, World Economic Forum 2016. Source: WEF

As the innovation in technology spiralled and human’s reliant on it continues to grow, there is a consensus that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us. So unsurprisingly this was a hotly debated topic at the just concluded World Economic Forum 2016 held in Davos - Switzerland between 20th and 23rd January.

Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman at the World Economic Forum dilated that; “We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another.” And Nicholas Davies, Head of Society and Innovation stressed that; “Technologies are emerging and affecting our lives in ways that indicate we are at the beginning of a Fourth Industrial Revolution, a new era that builds and extends the impact of digitization in new and unanticipated ways.”

The History of Industrial Revolutions:

According to Klaus Schwab, the First Industrial Revolution which began around 1784 used water and steam power to mechanize production. The Second one in 1870 used electric power to create mass production. And the third one which came to live around 1969 used electronics and information technology to automate production.

What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

The Fourth Industrial Revolution according to Nicholas Davis, can be described as the advent of “cyber-physical systems” involving entirely new capabilities for people and machines. While these capabilities are reliant on the technologies and infrastructure of the Third Industrial Revolution, the Fourth Industrial Revolution represents entirely new ways in which technology becomes embedded within societies and even our human bodies.

Africa and the Fourth Industrial Revolution:

Like other previous revolutions, the new industrial revolutions comes along with challenges as well as opportunities From an African perspective though, where currently 645 million people are without access to electricity, the challenges of the fourth industrial revolutions greatly outweigh its benefits. The fundamental platform for any technological development to thrive is having access to adequate power supply. Unfortunately, lack of adequate power supply is still the greatest nemesis of any development agenda in the  African continent.

Speaking at an African Leaders debate at the World Economic Forum, Mr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) bemoaned that; “More than a century after Edison invented the light bulb, half of Africa is still in the dark.” He said and I quote; “We talk about the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but it all starts with the need for electricity, which is like blood in the system. If we don’t have it, we can’t live.”

Mr. Adesina also stressed that, for Africa to fare in the new Industrial revolution, we must process what we produce, and we must also promote trading within the continent rather than relying on overseas exports. However the AfDB president lamented on a possible agreement for the provision of universal access to energy across the whole of Africa by 2025. We do very much hope that this promise is kept and turns out to be true. Otherwise Africa will continue to play the catch-up-game in the Fourth Industrial Revolution like it has always been known for.