African Governments Urged to Promote IoT Adoption through Policies

Emma Okonji

African governments, Nigeria inclusive have been advised to formulate policies that would promote the speedy adoption of Internet of Things (IOTs) in order to deepen connected devices across all sectors of the African economy.

The advice is sequel to the global rapid expansion of IoTs, which is estimated to reach close to 29 billion connected systems across the globe by 2030, according to McKinsey.

Director, Stakeholder Management and Partnerships, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Aristotle Onumo, gave the advice on Tuesday during the IoT West Africa, Data Centre and Cloud Expo, collocated with Power and Water Nigeria, and organised by Vertex Next. 

According to him, African government can promote IoT adoption across Africa, through policy implementation. Citing World Bank reports on how digital technologies alone could add close to 200 million dollars in African GDP, Aristotle said IoT would remain at the heart of digital transformation.

He talked about how IoT could drive smart city development, combat diseases in healthcare sector and enhance e-commerce growth.

He however said even though IoTs are economic boosters, they come with their challenges, adding that unlocking the full potential of IoT in Africa, will not happen automatically.

According to Onumo, African governments have a great role to play in implementing policies that will help to drive adoption of IoTs, to boost connectivity in Africa.

In his keynote address, Project Manager, Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Bala Tyoden, said one of the most critical benefits of electrification and digital infrastructure, is the ability to enable remote monitoring of all grid installations, especially mini-grids and solar panels.

According to him, “In the past, the Rural Electrification Agency, which provides itself with over 600 million users across the country, has had some challenges with respect to monitoring of our systems, but with the advancement in the IoT system, IoT sector, as well as the tech sector, we are able to have sensors that report energy outputs in real-time. This is why the ability to digitally enable real-time tracking of electricity generation and consumption and people-to-people platforms provide us with the information needed to make better decisions on the grid. This further shows the power of interconnectivity and interoperability when it comes to measuring digital infrastructure.”