缅北禁地

The pains of lamentation have turned into cries of revolt that led us to the struggles for National Liberation, the conquest of our sovereignty, and subsequently the enormous challenge of rebuilding societies with serious basic survival challenges where access to essential goods, healthcare, and education still today constitute barriers to our development.

International aid, meaning external to the African continent, has been the model adopted practically since the independence movements. Africa has grown in its essential indicators, although the speed of this evolution has not allowed us to ambitiously move beyond survival challenges in a structured and confident manner.

However, I believe that Africa, supported by its trajectory, must aspire to a new poem. The lamentation and celebration of our journey will persist in the stories that generations will keep alive. But across the four corners of the world, there is the vibration of a dynamic planet, full of activities where great imbalances persist. Between the cycle of raw material capture, transformation, and wealth creation that promotes regional development, the African continent reflects the contradiction of possessing much of the raw material without it impacting its development in a commensurate way. Yes, Africa needs to aspire to development equivalent to its potential. A new poem from a conscious Africa should rise and echo in every home, school, and narrative about our continent.

Several studies illustrate the enormous contradiction of the African continent. The most glaring evidence highlights the disparity between the volume of external aid (about听) () and the estimated value of loss due to various inefficiencies (DRM) (500 billion USD). The conclusion is obvious: Africa does not need aid; it needs a new poem that inspires a new financing model for its development process, which must have at its core the boldness commensurate with its immense potential.

Naturally, various dimensions must be projected, but I believe that digital, particularly for the African region, has a strategic significance due to its accelerating and transformative potential. The world is witnessing technological evolutions at a speed never experienced before. This fact is leading to an accelerated adoption attempt in all societies, which are facing enormous difficulties in managing this authentic digital transformation.听

More advanced societies, with well-established health and education systems and extremely high levels of well-being, will naturally be more conservative in embracing all the transformational potential of new technologies. Established interests, aging populations, and traditional (legacy) systems represent significant investments whose profitability must be ensured. This will be the great challenge for more developed regions in harnessing all the potential that digital offers.

Here lies Africa's opportunity, the genesis of the new poem. Africa presents enormous structural weaknesses that cripple even our self-esteem. To envision and aspire to a globally leading Africa is practically heretical when confronted with the basic survival challenges that still persist. But it is precisely in this context of near-structural fragility, which has led us to be the continent with the youngest population in the world, that our opportunity lies.

Focusing on our potential, notably as holders of much of the raw materials essential to global development, Africa must identify "shortcuts" and 鈥渢riggers鈥� to accelerate our development process. But this exercise cannot be "undermined" from the start by our inability to "disconnect" from past poems.

In the digital age, where artificial intelligence, blockchain and fintech present themselves as future alternatives, Africa cannot envision building a financial system based on models still predominant in more advanced regions. The challenges and pains of "evolved" territories related to change management cannot be adopted by a region that is practically "green field." Urgently, an African vision harmonized for our territory is needed, so that Africa can quickly develop a financial ecosystem, supported by all technological potential, that is far more advanced than that of the northern countries, which will inevitably face different resistances. The African financial system should not be based on concrete infrastructures representing traditional banking but rather on digital infrastructures with all their reach, security, and reliability that technological innovations allow. Naturally, the organizational, legislative, and operational architecture must be built with "digital by design," "made in Africa," and mainly "made for Africa." In mind.

In this same line of thinking, Africa must embrace the process of empowering our continent.听, we cannot address this challenge by copying outdated education models from more "evolved" countries. Digital, with all its transformational potential, allows us to envision new, much more effective ways of transmitting knowledge. Europe and America, with traditional education systems, have an average of 1 teacher for every听/听pupils, while Sub-Saharan Africa has an average of听. To envision an academy in the same way as northern countries would perpetuate the gaps. Africa has a unique opportunity to build an educational architecture "digital by design," ensuring a 1:1 digital Student/Device ratio, thus guaranteeing a medium-term competitive advantage over territories that, despite recognizing digital's potential for education, are slow in its maximization. Recent concerns about the potential of artificial intelligence should be seen from the African continent's perspective as an opportunity to accelerate our development process. The African educational system should be strongly based on digital technology, using virtual and augmented reality, as well as artificial intelligence, as fundamental tools not only for transmitting knowledge but also to ensure that African culture is properly represented in the digital sphere.

In the health system, we will face similar challenges, where听, presents a huge deficit compared to听, and with much more sophisticated doctors and equipment. New technologies, such as remote measurement devices, remote diagnosis solutions, telemedicine, teleconsultation, and artificial intelligence, can dramatically improve the quality of health services.

Industries across various sectors are currently undergoing significant transformations due to the potential that digital offers. One of the most emblematic use cases of 5G is precisely for industry, allowing for faster and more profitable production.

The examples mentioned above apply transversally to all areas of our societies. Digital is provoking an authentic transformation in how we do things. Despite the devastating effect of the pandemic, that catastrophe allowed the world to accelerate its transformation process and increased the certainty that digital transformation is an inevitable reality.

It is therefore my conviction that a new African poem must be based on an accelerated digital transformation of the territory as a foundation to leverage all our potential, shorten distances, and place Africa on the path to sustainable development, in line with our immense potential. Studies have highlighted that there is a direct correlation between inefficient public services and instability, being this an extra incentive to improve service delivery thru innovation and technology.

But how to achieve this? Certainly not with the current model where we are in "copy-paste mode鈥�, doing what others have done before. Africa must lead the digital appropriation, not copy it. We have a continent with survival challenges that digital can mitigate. We have a young population open to new things. And we have very little "legacy" infrastructure, which is a great advantage. These dimensions should lead us to think differently, act differently, and believe differently.

The first challenge lies within ourselves. Believing is undoubtedly the first step. Raising our self-esteem to levels that allow us to dare to elevate Africa to its potential. Introducing the concept of 'Open Innovation' and co-creation at the strategic center of a new model for the African continent. Only a united front that addresses the challenges of our territory in a homogeneous way will allow us to reach the limits of our potential. Finally, fully embracing the principle of experimentation and openness to change. Only a continent that, at the core of its transformation efforts, embraces openness to change will be effective in achieving this bold objective. The principle of 'sandbox' should be one of the structural elements in Africa's digital transformation process. A strong educational system, supported by emerging technologies and a curriculum focused on openness and innovation, will be crucial for instilling confidence in the African population in the building of a new era, a new Africa, a new Poem.

The internet as an essential commodity should be the foundation of the new poem. Every African should have access to adequate digital equipment and be connected to the internet. This should be the basis of African development. The subsidization of this goal should be at the top of the continent's priorities. This goal implies significant investments in energy and communication technologies, whether from telecom operators or satellites. The creation of this digital highway should be seen as one of the most structural elements in the fight against extreme poverty due to its potential to address education, health, and economic issues. Africa must aspire to have the most advanced connectivity technologies to ensure not only universal access but also the provision of essential services to its citizens.

However, this new paradigm of "made for Africa" implies not only the digital highway but also the existence of a content and application production ecosystem for all areas of society, from education to health, commerce, security, justice, public administration, agriculture, fisheries, the financial system... The creation of an ecosystem conducive to the production of "for Africa" , content, will be essential. Naturally, in addition to stimulating African academies with significant investment in research and development, it will be crucial for Africa to adopt two concepts: Open Innovation and Open Source.

Africa needs to adopt approaches that promote technological autonomy, local value creation, and community involvement. It is in this context that the concept of Open Innovation and the use of Open Source technologies can become the pillars of digital development on the continent. Although the African continent has advanced in adopting digital technologies, many countries still face excessive dependence on foreign technological solutions, a lack of adequate infrastructure, and limited capacity. The importation of proprietary technologies burdens budgets and limits the ability to adapt these tools to local realities. Moreover, the creation of innovative content that reflects the needs and cultural specificities of the continent has been scarce, reinforcing the digital divide. This paradigm needs to change. To overcome these challenges, the new poem must adopt a collaborative approach involving universities, startups, governments, and civil society. And this is where Open Innovation and the use of Open Source Technologies become central. Imagine a pan-African network of digital innovation hubs where universities collaborate with tech startups and local governments to co-create solutions for African challenges, such as sustainable agriculture, digital health, and financial inclusion. This collaborative environment can be fueled by a digital ecosystem that encourages applied research and youth entrepreneurship, using open-source solutions. Yes, Open source should be at the heart of the African Digital landscape.

With an open-source infrastructure and a culture of open innovation on a regional scale, I strongly believe that the conditions will be created for a new African narrative, where our positioning will be to extend a hand, yes, but from a perspective of partnership, to establish agreements for the export of finished products and not raw materials.

Naturally, policies such as imposing restrictions on the export of raw materials (a tax on raw materials) from the continent could stimulate the concentration of transformation technologies within our continent.

As an African who hopes that the forthcoming 鈥淪ummit of the Future鈥� will bring a new vision for Africa, I deeply hope that the current African leaders will rise to meet the expectations of the families of this rich continent. Aware of the immense wealth and potential of our continent, let us confidently and boldly embrace the opportunities of the digital age, and with one voice declare a new poem for Africa. The ambition is to build an Africa that matches its potential with a strategy "made for Africans."

H茅lio Varela, born in S茫o Vicente, Cape Verde, is a seasoned professional with 33 years of experience in the Information and Communication Technology sector, having worked across Europe and Africa in both public and private spheres. Known for his visionary leadership in digital governance in Cabo Verde, he currently serves as CTIO at Unitel T+, CEO of CV Internet Exchange Point and as a听member of听听African Experts Network for the Office of the Special Advisor on Africa.