Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 21 | Page 45

WE IN AFRICA ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SOME FUNDAMENTAL DECISIONS ABOUT HOW WE EDUCATE PEOPLE IF WE ’ RE GOING TO BE A PART OF THIS BRAVE NEW WORLD . www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
CIO OPINION demand for data visualisation skills by more than 2,000 %. As businesses , this means we must not only create new jobs in areas like data science and analytics , but reskill our existing workforces to deal with the digital revolution and its new demands .
So , while bus drivers and data clerks are looking over their shoulders nervously right now , we ’ re seeing a vast range of new jobs being created in fields such as science , technology , mathematics , data analysis , computer science and engineering . This is a challenge for Sub-Saharan Africa , where our levels of STEM education are still not where they should be . That doesn ’ t mean there are no opportunities to be had . In the region , for example , we have a real opportunity to create a new generation of home-grown African digital creators , designers and makers , not just ‘ digital deliverers ’. People who understand African nuances and stories , and who not only speak local languages , but are fluent in digital .
This ability to bridge the digital and physical worlds will be the new gold for Africa . We need more business operations data analysts , who combine deep knowledge of their industry with the latest analytical tools to adapt business strategies . There will also be more demand for user interface experts , who can facilitate seamless human-machine interaction .
Of course , in the longer term , we in Africa are going to have to make some fundamental decisions about how we educate people if we ’ re going to be a part of this brave new world . Governments , big business and civil society will all have roles to play in creating more future-ready education systems , including expanded access to earlychildhood education , more skilled teachers , investments in digital fluency and ICT

WE IN AFRICA ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SOME FUNDAMENTAL DECISIONS ABOUT HOW WE EDUCATE PEOPLE IF WE ’ RE GOING TO BE A PART OF THIS BRAVE NEW WORLD . www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO

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