Can Robots save Africa?

Happy #AfricaDay. I woke up with this reflection on how robots could shape the future of our continent. Please, tell me what you think.

Every time Africans asked for Messiahs, all they got were false prophets:

• First, corrupt leaders;
• Then IMF restructuring;
• And now, fake pastors.

 I’ve been following digital developments on the Continent. Presently, I’m convinced. Salvation is near. ROBOTS will save Africa!

(Image: Pan-African Robotics Competition )

Do I mean some Star Wars or Transformers-like machines? Nope. ‘Robots’ here imply software or combination of hard- and software capable of automated or relatively independent actions. (Search ‘Artificial Intelligence’)

 What’s exiting is that these robots are ALREADY BEEN BUILT, RIGHT HERE ON THE CONTINENT.

 Let’s consider Papa Zah, a retired carpenter living in Dschang in Western Cameroon.

 When his plantation gives him headache, all he’ll have to do is chat with agrobot, a virtual assistant being built by AgroSpaces in Cameroon. Agrobot will advise him on which crops will produce greater yields, on weather and market prices of each crop.

And if one day, his heart aches, he’ll just have to trek to the karabot village health centre. There, an AI installed on Arthur Zang’s CardioPad will be able not only to diagnose him, but also suggest appropriate medication.

(Image: CardioPad )

Papa Zah will pay for the drugs through Nigerian chatbot Kudi.ai and William Elong’s drones will make the delivery.

What about Papa Zah’s grandkids? They will be able to get Harvard-style education through YaNetu, an interactive educational tablet developed by I-Cog labs in Ethiopia.

 Also, Papa Zah’s cocoa will be packaged by a robotic arm, RoboArm developed in Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria.

 When he’ll need to sell his produce, he will use processed Big Data from Cameroonian firm www.MomoB.biz.

In a million ways, robots will transform the life of Papa Zah, and that of millions of Africans too.

 #Africa #Robotics #Artificial Intelligence