the most influential men in digital transformation
Chisomo Daka, Founder, CEO & CTO, Daka Space Technology (Malawi) When it comes to access to technology thanks to internet penetration, Africa still has so much room improvement. Malawi is an example. They also have Chisomo Daka. The physicist founded Daka Space Technology, a Malawian spacebased technology start-up. He is also the founder and the incumbent Managing Director at Airwave Technologies (2017) based in Blantyre (Malawi) and deals with computing and technology. Daka Space Technologies (DST) LTD essentially conducts space technology research, develops and deploys low-cost and reliable space technology innovations that greatly improve living standards by enabling digital access and successful implementation of sustainable development initiatives in Malawi and across African countries. DST also provides satellite communication and remote sensing as services to governments, businesses and end users (i.e customers) for various applications and use cases. The star-tup embarks on partnerships with research and academic institutions, especially those interested in space science research, and provides them with hands-on space based technology learning platforms and expert experience in conducting space research projects to both students and research experts. Malawi, like more and more African countries, is venturing into a space odyssey. It turns out there are around 80 space application projects are currently being implemented across the continent, funded by both continental and global institutions. Daka aligns his vision with Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want as inspired by the African Union and DST looks at a self-reliant Malawi. Daka doubles up as a Physics lecturer at Malawi University of Science & Technology (MUST). He graduated from the University of Malawi in 2015 with a Bachelor of Education Science (Physics and Maths). As of today, he holds an MSc. Physics degree from Lovely Professional University in India. The young Daka is also an active advocate of scientific and technological innovations among the youth and strongly believes in the notion of adoption of local technological solutions for sustainable development.
Prof Bitange Ndemo - Kenya’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and the European Union Prof Ndemo is regarded by many as The Father of Technology in Kenya. If you look back at all the key decisions and their impact on digital transformation in Kenya, they inevitably led back to something he did, facilitated or inspired. Be it be the installation of undersea submarine cables, the development of business process outsourcing industry, the reduction in mobile termination rates (MTRs), initiating Kenya Open Data, and the growth of tech hubs such as iHub and mLab in Kenya through effective regulation Currently serving as Kenya’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and the European Union, he is an academician shaping the future CIOs, a newspaper columnist with the Daily Nation and the Business Daily who breaks dx language down into mwananchi language. He is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Nairobi’s Business School. When speaking to the digital transformation taking place in Kenya and in Africa, he pegged digitalization and ICT as now encompassing 12 per cent to 15 per cent of the country’s GDP. His impact as a technocrat is global. He is an advisor and Board member to several organisations including Safaricom, a member of the OECD Expert Panel for Blockchain, World Economic Forum Global Blockchain Council (part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Fourth Industrial Revolution Councils). Prof Ndemo’s research centers on the link between ICTs and SMEs with emphasis on how ICTs influence economic development in Africa. SMEs account for the employment of about 80 per cent of the population. He holds a PhD in Industrial Economics from the University of Sheffield in the UK, an MBA from the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Minnesota. www.cioafrica.co | FEBRUARY 2023 | CIO Africa Magazine | by dx⁵
29
