Remarks of Mr Moctar Yedaly, Head Of Information Society of the African Union Commission at the Opening of Experts’ Session of STC-3 ON COMMUNICATION AND ICT,
Sharm el Sheikh, 22 October 2019.
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Mr Chairman
Mr (…) Representative of the Government of Egypt
Ladies and gentlemen

It is with great honor and joy that welcome here today at the opening of the experts session of the 3rd ordinary session of the AU STC on ICT and Communications
On behalf the AU Commission and on behalf of all the participants, I would like first and most of all to thank the Experts, the government and the people of Egypt for the wonderful hospitality and the great support to all of us.
To directly translate a common sweet Egyptian expression” YOU HAVE NOT COME SHORT
All is great- Egypt – the mother of the WORLD

During our short journey from Addis Ababa, Yesterday, I met some of my our colleagues from AU Conference Services who supported us 11 years ago in Cairo for this same statuary ministerial conference.

Some of the delegates who were there are here too.

[Unfortunately we recently lost The Brother, the Friend and The Gentlemen who was then the Minister of ICT in Egypt. Dr Tarek. Who recently was ICANN Senior VP in charge of Government engagement passed 2 weeks ago after a long battle with cancer.
Please stand with me for a minute of Silence]

May he rest in Peace!!
Coming in 2018 we had three major frameworks to adopt:
1) The AU reference Framework for the Harmonization of Policy and Harmonization
2) The African Regional Program for Knowledge economy (ARPKE)
3) The AU Action Plan for the sustainable development of postal sector
They were endorsed. And they have fed our action for the last decade
That was a historic meeting

And here we are again with one more time with another VITAL document to consider: The African Union Digital Transformation Strategy which aims at to harness digital technologies and innovation to transform Africa’s societies and economies to promote Africa’s integration, generate inclusive economic growth, stimulate job creation, erase the digital divide and eradicate poverty to secure the benefits of digital revolution for socio-economic development

Ladies and gentlemen,
Distinguished experts,

We are here today because we are convinced by the vital role that ICTs had played, play and will play in the advancement of our world in general and our societies in particular.

We live in the era of digital and networked economies era qualified as the 4th industrial era.
The formal frameworks used to design and structure firms/organizations, lead, govern, and value them are being totally transformed. The driving force behind this accelerating change is the digital or collaborative economy i.e. a shift from firm-based to network-based business models.
Today’s leading organizations in the world are network-centric and are creating remarkable economic returns by capitalizing on network advantages.

Leaders and investors who want to participate in this digital revolution need to envision their future, and the future of their industry, based on intangibles and networks or risk falling behind.

This Digital Revolution, the Collaborative and Circular economy offers unique opportunity for Africa to transform itself and to catch up with the rest of the world in the all areas notably in the areas of education, health, peace and security, good governance etc

Ladies and gentlemen
Distinguish participants
It is unfortunate that some of our leaders and a big number of our people still feel that this TECHNOLIGCAL and network disruption is a distant concern for our endeavors or irrelevant for our industry, and that we have more pressing concerns, but be aware: Investor capital, customer revenue and affinity, top talent, and market buzz are shifting from established firms toward network organizations.
Research, white papers, prognostic- all indicate that digital networks are entering almost every industry, even some of the most mundane/routine/commonplace
All is about leadership and visionaries
Traditional leaders ask what their organization can provide- BUT Network leaders ask what value their costumers/their people and other networks have to offer
Traditional leader think they are operating at full capacity- BUT Network leaders see the world differently and full of additional potential

It is our duty as experts to make happen to crate our smart or digital leaders

You may recall that countries which missed the industrial revolution ended up to be all colonized, dominated.
In the same order countries which will miss the digital revolution will suffer the same fate. They will suffer the consequences for a long period of time.

Africa should not fall into that scenario

One more and again ICTs are Africa’s unique opportunity of the 21st Century for growth

The future is happening faster and faster. And we are witnessing unprecedented shifts that are redefining our future.

Thank you for your kind Attention