Yesterday was Safer Internet Day (SID) (and Facebook launched a series of initiatives to help make the Internet a safer and better place for people across Africa, especially children and the youth. Facebook is partnering with public sector agencies and non-governmental organisations from across Africa under the rallying call “Be the change: unite for a better Internet”.
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the people who use Facebook. Every day people come to Facebook to connect with people and issues they care about, and they should be able to do so in a safe, secure environment,” says Akua Gyekye, Public Policy Manager Facebook, Africa.
Facebook builds products that empower the community to stay in control, support each other during crises and stay safe online. Every Facebook product has privacy and security built into it to protect your information.

Worldwide conversation 

Over 100 countries are participating in an effort to start conversations and help people think about the small steps they can take to stay safe online. The initiative is coordinated by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission, and national Safer Internet Centres across Europe and beyond.
In Africa, Facebook is working with various partners to ensure the safety and education of their communities and address the needs of vulnerable people.
Facebook is providing financial and marketing support for them to use to raise awareness about online safety. Facebook is also hosting an event in Johannesburg, South Africa and Nairobi, Kenya to promote the importance of online safety to students, teachers, parents and policymakers.

Everyone has a part to play

Gyekye says: “This is an opportunity to explore the role we all play in helping to create a better and safer online community. We are proud to work with young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, and policymakers to create a better Internet.”
Facebook has redesigned its Safety Center, an engaging resource to help people get the information they need about controlling their information and staying safe. It walks you through the tools Facebook offers to control your experience as well as numerous tips and resources for safe and secure sharing. It is available in over 50 languages, is mobile friendly and includes step-by-step videos.

Quotes from relevant partners

TechWomen Zimbabwe
“As more Zimbabwean women and girls go online to take advantage of the immense opportunities the internet offers, they empower themselves with knowledge, education and connections with others,” says Techwomen Zimbabwe’s Founder, Aretha Mare. “We are determined to break down barriers to the Internet for women and girls so they can maximise the benefits of the Internet – and that includes tackling challenges such as online harassment and bullying.”

Watoto Watch Network: Kenya
“The Internet brings offers great opportunities for Kenya’s youth and children. This year’s Safer Internet Day gives young people the opportunity to voice their views on how to make the internet better,” says Lillian Kariuki, executive director at Watoto Watch Network.

JI Initiative from Ghana
“We are passionate advocates for a safe Internet for young people and children, so we are pleased that Facebook embraces its responsibility to keep people safe on its platform,” says Awo Aidam Amenyah, Executive Director at JI Initiative. “We are pleased to work with Facebook to promote positive online experiences for everyone.”

Ghana Internet Safety Foundation
“The massive support we’ve seen for this year’s Safer Internet Day is truly inspiring,” says Emmanuel Adinkrah, Co-Founder and CEO of Ghana Internet Safety Foundation. “It is heartening to hear about the ways young people are using technology to take positive action online to empower each other and spread kindness. We want to encourage them to keep building a better internet for all.”

Film and Production Board: South Africa
“It is important to have conversations early and often  about how inappropriate content on the Internet may affect children,” says Janine Raftopoulos, Manager Communications and Public Education South Africa’s Film & Publications Board (FPB). “Parents, educators, guardians and industry all have a part to play in ensuring that children understand how to stay safe online.”

ICLDING: Nigeria
“We’re pleased with our partnership with Facebook for Safer Internet day to raise awareness and have conversations about staying safe online,” says Felix Bidemi Iziomoh, Executive Director at ICLDING. “We are proud to play a role in uniting our community for a better internet.”

Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC)
“The 2017 theme for the Safer Internet Day ‘Be the change: unite for a better internet’ resonates strongly with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s campaign, ‘The change begins with me’,” says Adeyemi Odutola, Communications Officer at Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC). “We are excited to partner with Facebook to host a day of workshops and fun activities for secondary students, where they will learn how to navigate the Internet confidently and safely.”

Senegal (JOXAfrica Association)
“Protecting children on the Internet is a priority for us as we rally with governments NGOs and private companies for a better online community,” says JOXAfrica Senegal’s Assane Diouf. “Together with Facebook, as the world’s biggest online social network, we can create higher awareness of how we can keep children safe online.”

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) internet of things (IoT) market is forecast to defy the region’s moderate economic outlook by growing 19.6% year on year in 2017 to total $7.8 billion, according to a recent update to the Worldwide Semiannual Internet of Things Spending Guide from International Data Corporation (IDC).

This compares favorably to the healthy 18.1% growth seen in 2016, with IDC attributing the market’s performance to the proliferation of digital transformation initiatives across the region as businesses and government entities strive to boost productivity and improve efficiency.

“The MEA IoT market is becoming increasingly competitive, enabling organizations to source a range of innovative digital solutions aimed at transforming business operations, improving the customer experience, and enhancing employee engagement,” says Wale Babalola, research analyst for telecommunications, IoT, and digital media at IDC MEA.

“Indeed, IoT now offers a myriad of industry-specific solutions that can be easily deployed by organizations in a bid to stay ahead of competition.

“IDC expects the manufacturing, transportation, and utilities industries to see the highest levels of IoT-related spending in 2017 as organizations across these verticals look to digitalize their operations and improve their value proposition across different lines of business. The commitment of service providers, application developers, and OEMs to developing purpose built end-to-end IoT solutions is serving as a major driver of the growing adoption we are seeing across the region.”

Manufacturing organizations will lead the way in 2017, with IDC forecasting IoT-related spending of $1.3 billion for this vertical. The ‘manufacturing operations’ use case will account for more than 51% of this investment. ‘Manufacturing operations’ is an IoT use case that supports digitally-executed manufacturing and the way in which manufacturers use intelligent and interconnected I/O (input output) tools (e.g., sensors, actuators, drives, vision/video equipment) to enable different components in the manufacturing field (e.g., machine tools, robots, conveyor belts) to autonomously exchange information, trigger actions, and control each other independently.

The transportation industry is also forecast to see IoT-related spending of around $1.3 billion in 2017. The ‘freight monitoring’ use case is expected to account for $849 million of this figure, which aptly highlights the increasing importance of monitoring goods and improving productivity.

The use of IoT for freight management purposes (air, railroad, land, or sea) is based on RFID, GPS, GPRS, and GIS technology to create intelligent, internet-connected transportation systems. These systems perform intelligent recognition, location, tracking, and monitoring of freight and cargo by exchanging information and real-time communications via wireless, satellite, and other channels.

IDC forecasts IoT-related spending by MEA utilities to reach $918 million in 2017, with investments around ‘smart grid’ technologies to account for more than 82% of this total. Smart grids are rapidly gaining traction across the region as municipalities increasingly see the value proposition in deploying related solutions in an effort to efficiently distribute resources to their respective end customers.

“Numerous smart city projects are already underway across the region, and the propagation of such initiatives will continue to fuel IoT adoption by both public and private sector organizations,” says Babalola.

“Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading the charge when it comes to smart cities, so it makes sense that these two countries will account for the highest contributions to overall IoT investment in MEA during 2017, with a combined value of more than $1.6 billion.”

IDC’s Worldwide Semiannual Internet of Things Spending Guide forecasts IoT revenues for 12 technologies and 47 use cases across 20 vertical industries in 8 regions and 52 countries. Unlike any other research in the industry, the comprehensive spending guide was designed to help vendors clearly understand the industry-specific opportunity for IoT technologies.

Looking to 2017 and beyond, Africa’s prospects are positive.

According to a 2016 World Bank report, “Economic growth is showing signs of resilience… to continue to make progress on its development goals and achieve structural transformation, Africa must capitalise on the significant growth opportunities.”

Shrewd investors and companies that are already well established in the region should do just that – capitalise. We accept that Africa needs companies in the PR industry who take the time to invest in the region because PR services will play an integral role in promoting economic diversification, economic growth and job creation.

Nations right across sub-Saharan Africa are pushing ahead with reforms and initiatives that support the case for investment and business expansion. These reforms include anti-money laundering regulations, streamlined tax regimes and direct investment in start-ups and innovators. Countries that have developmental needs are pushing ahead with much-needed, major infrastructure projects and showcasing fast-growing industries.

For those of us in the communications sector, we have a significant role to play in supporting these priorities. As we look ahead to 2017, these are our predictions:

• Stronger demand for reputation management

Reputation management will be one of the most highly sought after services – especially important in Africa because of cautious investor sentiment. Investors seek reassurance that issues of corruption, political instability and weak capital markets are all being addressed. Therefore, communications firms will increasingly offer reputation management services as a leading capability in 2017.

• Boots on the ground – not affiliates

Having boots on the ground in local markets is arguably the most important and highly valued commodities available to an African-based communications firm. In sub-Saharan Africa, this is especially true because it is such a fragmented region with hundreds of languages and cultures.

Coinciding with the importance of local expertise, delivered by nationals who speak the mother-tongue and instinctively know how to navigate their own cultures; is the need for the provision of world-class communications skills.

Affiliate networks do add breadth to an organisation that has limited local resources in new territories, but culture matters – and we expect to see affiliate networks reach for that all-important asset: authenticity. Authenticity is best built over time, organically through team development and training – affiliates have their work cut out for them in this respect.

Governments and major organisations will almost certainly place increasing value on teams of individuals who are local and have been trained by international experts. This is where affiliate networks may fail: keeping the senior talent in South Africa or Europe makes it difficult to train up local teams. For this reason, training is also going to be a major focus for pan-regional communications firms in 2017.

• More innovative social and digital campaigns

We have seen great success in the use of social and digital media across the continent. Many countries have a very high level of internet penetration; especially on mobile phones. It’s also an extremely young population that is unafraid of new technologies. Studies, reports and research papers can reach millions through smart use of Twitter, Instagram and others. Whilst print media continues to reach business leaders; it is social media that has the capacity to reach millions – which is why communications campaigns in 2017 are likely to see a greater appetite for and understanding of social media from clients.

• Increased focus on CSR

Finally, social responsibility has come to the fore in a strong way over the past year. Governments, particularly, are extremely keen to be proactively dealing with social issues – such as access to basic services or job creation. Foreign firms also know that they need to leave a lasting legacy so here we can see a major opportunity to sell meaningful social responsibility platforms to clients. With issues, such as global warming, skills development and poverty; all companies in Africa have a responsibility to do the right thing for Africa.

NB: Mitchell Prather is the Managing Director of Djembe Communications.

Courtesy: HWMIIA