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WEF Africa 2016: The village of the future

13 May 2016

To technologically transform our villages, the government first needs to work on land reforms, Gisele Yitamben #af16 pic.twitter.com/oJulP69iNM

— FACRA (@FACRA_Angola) May 12, 2016

Panellists at the WEF on Africa 2016 session the Village of the Future included renewable energy expert Sameer Hajee, Babatunde Osotimehin director at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Millicom Africa CEO Cynthia Gordon and Cameroonian economist Gisele Yitamben. Kenyan entrepreneur James Mwangi moderated the session. The theme for the discussion asked the question How can rural economies become self-sufficient?

The conversation covered a number of issues including:

• Moving from a consumer to producer mind-set;
• Fostering distributed manufacturing; and;
• Building on the strengths of their communities.

The panel discussed at length the power of mobile technology and renewable energy in empowering rural communities to compete in the global market place.

Issues and challenges such as climate change, gender equality and land reform were also weighed up against the backdrop of evolving African social and political structures.

Watch the full panel discussion below:

Source: WEF Africa 2016