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Having sat down with Juanita Clark to discuss the digital landscape in South Africa, it is clear that she is exactly the kind of person the country needs to galvanise us into an inclusive Fourth Industrial Revolution economy.
As the founder and CEO of the Digital Council Africa, Juanita realised in the mid-2000s that South Africa needed a countrywide grassroots education programme for fibre optic infrastructure. In 2010, after more than 25 years in the ITC space, she set up the Digital Council Africa, a non-profit organisation that is at the forefront of digital transformation across sub-Saharan Africa.
Juanita and her team wear many hats. As an independent industry association, the Digital Council Africa’s mandate is to educate government, policymakers, private sector stakeholders and other role players on the role of fibre in the greater connectivity ecosystem. They produce white papers on topics related to the digital economy and how the country can position itself as an investment destination, lobby policymakers on the country’s readiness for digital infrastructure investment, and regularly engage with industry leaders to ensure that the Council at all times understands their concerns, and that they remain thought leaders on future digital technologies.
One would think that it takes an army to handle such a tall order, but Juanita speaks warmly of her progressive team that consists of only a handful contract employees who are all dedicated to what they are trying to achieve.
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Building an aeroplane in full flight
And what they are trying to achieve is to build an efficient aeroplane while it’s already in flight, soaring through the sky. This is because the South African digital revolution is in full swing. South Africa’s digital revolution never quite began; rather, it exploded into being. The fibre industry was pioneered by a small group of fearless entrepreneurs who, at great risk, adopted a ‘build it and they will come’ mentality when they first broke ground on the rollout of fibre projects across the country.
Billions have been invested. Fibre optic networks are notoriously expensive to deploy, and, unlike most commodities, fibre prices are continuously under pressure and have in fact decreased significantly, not increased as is the norm. Not something investors feel comfortable with. The risk was worth the reward, as South Africans in their thousands flocked to become part of the FTTH community, and fibre entrepreneurs found themselves in a situation where they could hardly keep up with the demand.
A need for government oversight
The Digital Council Africa is positive about the role of government as a key enabler of the digital economy and has always made its expertise available to work alongside national and provincial governments in many different capacities. Whether it is on working committees, forums, think tanks or providing general commentary, the Digital Council Africa seeks to be on the righthand side of government, bringing practical elements to the discussion around the deployment of digital infrastructure.
This contribution cannot be overstated. Ask anyone about the future of global economies, and they will tell you that technology, in some capacity, lies at the heart of every future rand earned. The South African government is aware of the role the digital economy can play in our own future, and this proposition plays a pivotal role in the South African Country Investment Strategy (CIS). At provincial level, a ‘jobs war room’ has been established that is focused on how different economies can create jobs. Juanita represents the digital economy, a vital component of a discussion that is critical to the fate of our country over the next few years. At Infrastructure South Africa, digital infrastructure is acknowledged as a critical enabler of a South Africa that is globally competitive. But we still have important questions that need answering. How do we achieve universal broadband? How do we eradicate the digital divide? How do we build an inclusive society that offers equal access and opportunity for all who wish to participate in the digital economy?
According to Juanita, there is buy-in from the highest levels in government, including the office of the President, which has, through Operation Vulindlela, put in place mechanisms to remove red tape associated with the deployment of infrastructure. It is clear that the white paper gathering and information overloading has gone, and practical, implementable, next-step-focused solutions are being implemented to answer the questions asked above. It seems to be working.
If you had asked Juanita three years ago if South Africa was on par with the global digital advancement trends, she would have answered with an emphatic no. Today, however, she is positive that we are working hard towards achieving our digital transformation goals and are on track with our international counterparts, in some part thanks to the pandemic that highlighted the critical role of connectivity.
There is a lot to discuss around the topic of digital technologies and the role they play in our society. Juanita speaks of her industry with wisdom, insight and great passion. If I had to imagine a champion of the industry, then Juanita is just the person I would have in mind. It is not only her expertise in the digital infrastructure space that is inspiring. Juanita also speaks about leadership and the role of women in the workplace with a fierceness that is showstopping. She is particularly passionate about the inclusion of the youth, and highlights their plight in every conversation she has. She uses words like ‘inclusivity’, ‘equality’ and ‘opportunity’. One cannot help but take a seat, listen and admire.
One thing is for certain – the country is in need of leaders who are able to harness their expertise, galvanise government and industry into action, and get stuff done to create an inclusive and prosperous Fourth Industrial Revolution in South Africa.
