More than meets the eye| The impact of Sahara Sparks (Infographic)
This article was inspired by the read:Beyond Sahara Sparks, authored by Musa Kamata
Sahara Sparks, known to many as East Africa’s largest technology entrepreneurship and innovation event has brought more than 600 startup companies, attract over 3000 event attendees and 180 speakers from within and beyond borders of the African soil.
It is already three consecutive years since the very beginning in 2016 where it was about breaking the barriers. Breaking barriers beyond the norm that led to the 2017 theme that fiercely forged towards smart solutions. What are smart solutions without data? this inspired the 2018 theme that capitalized on intellectual discussions about data in the Innovation age.
Currently, Sahara Sparks is Africa’s largest innovation, technology and entrepreneurship event with the core intention of building a stable ecosystem at a country and global level. The 2018 regional sparks featured the regions; Iringa, Tanga, Arusha, and Mwanza.
Birthed in Tanzania this event now has four chapters in four other African countries; Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi through a series of events titled, city sparks. If you haven’t come across Sahara Sparks consider that you haven’t been to Africa.
Sahara Sparks is spontaneously transforming into a global event. Gracefully selling the African market and globalizing African innovations.
It is an astute observation that the nation’s impact entwined with the event is enormous.
Sahara Sparks 2019 is themed Africa in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Africa 4IR). Expanding her chapters across Africa, Sahara Sparks is organizing the Nordic Sparks in Finland and has already held the Nairobi sparks with the partnership of Panda Labs and Tectona Kenya.
The event intends to bring intellectual dialogue about the prospects and constraints of the fourth industrial revolution to emerging economies in Africa. To what extent is the fourth industrial revolution relevant to Africa? Where there is a large informal economy, limited public infrastructure, where technical skills levels are low, and advanced technology can be found in only a few sectors that are dominated by foreign multinational companies and staffed by expatriate workers.
What exactly is this revolution, and why does it matter, especially for Africa?
Sahara Sparks is just a component of a full week: The Africa 4.0 week
The Africa 4.0, a week from the 7th -12th of October that is co-organized by Sahara Sparks and Chanzo capital is a platform for different stakeholders to meet and reflect on the role of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship in fostering social-economic development in Africa in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution
Capitalizing on the fast-growing ecosystem in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, in particular; the week will incorporate stakeholders that will champion a series of workshops and events concerning technology and innovation.
The GSMA reports Dar es Salaam as among the top 10 new tech cities in Africa. Initiatives like the silicon dar prove this to be true. Like other silicons, silicon Dar is evolving as the epicenter of revolutionary innovations in the nation.
Conclusion
Do not consider coming to Sahara Sparks nor to the Africa 4.0 week as your only agenda. Tanzania is a country packed with many tourist attractions. Approximately 38 percent of Tanzania’s land area is set aside in protected areas for conservation. There are 16 national parks, 29 game reserves, 40 controlled conservation areas (including the Ngorongoro Crater). Tanzania is also home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the roof of Africa.
Join the Conversation #Africa4IR
Together, the future is ours to see. The future is here
