Organized by The International Center for Strategic Alliances, the event provided a comprehensive overview of digital infrastructure developments and emerging trends in the Telecom Sector.
Connected Africa was an ideal platform for networking with industry players, C-suite executives, senior managers, decision-makers, and practitioners in the Telecom industry. Attendees had the opportunity to meet subject experts leading the transformation agenda, engage in discussions on various industry issues, and gain insights into best practices and next-generation solutions.
The summit focused on critical topics such as wireless infrastructure, VoLTE & 4G LTE, network management, big data, business intelligence, cloud services, security, analytics, as well as emerging opportunities in value-added services (VAS), over-the-top (OTT) platforms, operational support systems (OSS), business support systems (BSS), Internet of Things (IoT), and machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies. These discussions highlighted the increasing importance of these technologies in driving the Telecom Sector’s growth across Africa.
The event featured an impressive lineup of luminaries from the industry who shared their valuable insights and inputs. Esteemed speakers included Charles Molapisi, CEO, MTN, Jorge Mendes, CEO, CellC, Lunga Siyo, CEO Telkom Consumer & Small Business, Telkom, Nomvuyiso Batyi, CEO, Association of Comms and Technology, Nikos Angelopoulos, Group Chief Information Officer, MTN, Mlindi Mashologu, Deputy Director-General (DDG), ICT Information Society and Capacity Development, Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, Johan van Graan, Chief Risk Officer, Vodacom, Stefan Steffen, Group Head of Data and AI, Telkom, Davide Tacchino, Vodacom – Terminals Managing Executive, Vodacom, Varsha Chetty, Head ICT, SkX Protiviti, Hartoj Singh Bhasin, Director ICT, SkX Protiviti, Gur Geva, Founder and CEO, iiDENTIFii, Tejas Lagad, Director Asia, MEA, Nexus Group, Lloyd Rodrigues, Regional Head & Product Manager- MEA, Nexus Group, Pragashani Reddy, Head of Technology and Digital Enablement, Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking, Resham Sivnarain, Tech Lead: Machine Learning & AI, Vodacom Group, Lavina Ramkissoom (Advisor African Union, MTN South Africa, Malebu Makgalemela Mogohloane, Group Executive: ERM, Security and Forensics, Telkom, Durvesh Maharaj, Portfolio manager Product and Distribution, Vodacom, and Durrel Ramrathan, Senior Analytics and AI leader, MultiChoice.
The event also recognized various companies and individuals’ outstanding contributions to the Telecom sector. Notable award recipients included Shameel Joosub, Vodacom- Telecom CEO of the Year, Celia Mantshiyane, MTN Group – Telecom CISO of the Year, Nikos Angelopoulos, MTN Group Telecom CIO of the Year, Jorge Mendes, Cell C- Telecom Industry Leader of the Year, MTN Group South Africa – Best Mobile Network Operator, CellC – Best Customer Experience Provider, Vodacom Group South Africa – Best Telecom Brand with Social Impact, Multichoice Group – Best Video Entertainment Brand for DSTV, Nitesh Marcel Singh – Communications and Media Transformation Leader of the Year, and Accenture – Digital Transformation Provider of the Year, Avanti Communications – Outstanding communications to connect the unconnected, iidentifii- Best Biometric Solution Provider.
Connected Africa Summit 2023 was co-hosted by Accenture, a leading global professional services company, and proudly supported by Gold Sponsor Iidentifii, Networking Sponsors SKX Protiviti and Nexus Group, and Supporting Partners Association of Comms & Technology and Comric.
The summit provided a valuable platform for industry leaders, experts, and innovators to exchange knowledge, explore emerging technologies, and discuss strategies to drive the Telecom Sector’s growth in Africa. Connected Africa 2023 has once again demonstrated its significance as Africa’s premier Telecom Summit, fostering collaboration and paving the way for a digitally connected future.
