The inaugural Africa Digital Forum (ADF), oraganised by AIDEC Consultancies International Limited, is set to come off in Accra on Wednesday, 25 August 2021.

Dubbed the ‘Accra Edition’, the Forum which has as its theme, ‘The Digital Challenge: Africa’s Opportunity Under AfCFTA’, will bring together key stakeholders in policy, regulation, industry, and academia converge to deliberate on the necessity, challenges, and opportunities of digitalization in fulfilling the potential presented by the continent-wide free trade area.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into effect on January 1, 2021, provides market access to 1.2 billion people and a gross domestic product (GDP) of $2.5 trillion, across all 55 member states of the African Union.

Speaking ahead of the Forum, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AIDEC Consultancies International Limited, Ambrose Yennah stated that Accra was chosen as the destination for the maiden edition as it currently serves as home to the AfCFTA Secretariat.

“This gathering of regulators, academics and businesspeople; from Club 100 companies to budding Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and even Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) will ensure that the most pertinent issues confronting all stakeholders would be discussed and solutions proffered,” he explained.

Continuing, he said: “We are quite concerned about applying digitalization to ensure that goods and services meet the prerequisite standards, particularly for the anglophone and francophone markets - which represent the biggest on the continent - as well as other markets.”

On a similar tangent, the Chairman of the Board at AIDEC Consultancies International Limited, Prof. Robert Yennah stated that the Forum would serve as a platform for regulators to sensitize players in their respective spaces on the matters of policy. It will also provide indigenous institutions that focus on digital solutions for businesses, a ready platform to showcase their products and services.

“We have been able to pool together some of the best indigenous human resources in the area of ICT, who are able to provide solutions to big multinational corporations, as well as small businesses who are struggling to part of the digital world.”

The hybrid event will see the Secretary-General of AfCFTA, Wamkele Mene; Minister for Communication and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Director-General of the  National Information Technology Agency (NITA) Richard Okyere-Fosu; renowned scientist and ‘Africa’s father of the internet’, Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor; the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah; the Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority, Prof. Alex Dodoo; and the Dean of the University of Ghana Business School, Prof. Justice Bawole speak on subjects such as developing smart cities, cross border trade protocols, standardization and skill development, amongst others.

The Africa Digital Forum (ADF) Accra Edition

The Africa Digital Forum (ADF), Accra Edition is the maiden platform that seeks to bring key stakeholders in policy, regulation, industry, and academia converge to deliberate on the necessity, challenges, and opportunities of digitalization in fulfilling the potential presented by the continent-wide free trade area.

This gathering of regulators, academics and businesspeople; from Club 100 companies to budding Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and even Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) will ensure that the most pertinent issues confronting all stakeholders would be discussed and solutions proffered.