SOME OF Africa’s leading female business leaders will gather in Johannesburg next month for a special conference examining the future role that artificial intelligence (AI) will play in the continent’s economy.
What Women CEOs in Africa Need to Know about Artificial Intelligence, will feature global experts who will share insights on how the latest developments in AI are likely to affect some of Africa’s key industries such as financial services, telecoms, natural resources, agriculture, and technology.
The conference will be hosted by Harvard Business School professor Karim Lakhani and Tsedal Neeley, also a professor at Harvard Business school who will give a presentation on how to get large organisations to adopt an AI mindset.
The event, which will take place on March 8 to mark International Women’ Day, will also see the launch of Africa.com’s Definitive List of Women CEOs. The list highlights the women who lead corporations in Africa with over $100 million in revenue based on data provided by Bloomberg.
Among the high profile speakers at the event are Lillian Barnard, Managing Director, Microsoft, South Africa; Brenda Mbathi, President, GE East Africa; Aida Diarra, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, VISA; Amelia Beattie, Chief Executive, Liberty Two Degrees and Helene Echevin, CEO, CIEL Healthcare.
GROWTH POTENTIAL: Recent studies have estimated that AI will generate millions of jobs in Africa by 2025
Africa.com Chair Teresa Clarke said: “We are thrilled to empower African women CEOs by providing them with a leading edge understanding of how AI is changing business throughout the world. We expect that African male CEOs will also join this event to take advantage of the valuable content being presented.”
A 2019 study from the Boston Consulting Group found that in Africa alone, data-driven online marketplaces that rely on AI in fields such as fintech and e-commerce could create 3 million jobs by 2025, while dramatically expanding access to goods and services across the region.
Some of the leading players in the global tech sector are already positioning themselves to tap into Africa’s digital potential.
In 2019 Google opened its first Africa-based artificial intelligence research center in Ghana.
Other big tech companies such as IBM and Microssoft have also committed to developing Africa’s talent and contributing to its digital growth.
Source: https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/world-news/2022/02/18/africas-women-business-leaders-to-examine-the-future-role-of-artificial-intelligence/
