by MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – EXPERTS have urged leaders to leverage technology and widen collaborations in order to tackle the economic and social problems in the continent.
This has been the prevailing advice at the just-concluded Singularity South Africa Summit 2025, attended by over 1 100 delegates in Johannesburg and more than 1 000 online.
Opening the summit, David Roberts, the global expert in disruption, innovation and leadership, reflected on the unpredictable nature of national disruption and its impact on business and society.
He drew from decades of studying conflict, noting that instability often emerged from within nations rather than through foreign intervention, as seen in Myanmar and Sudan in recent years.
Roberts addressed South Africa’s low growth and the continent’s untapped potential.
In an interesting development, he urged leaders to consider a shared currency between South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria to drive integration and stability.
These are the largest economies in the respective blocs in Africa.
In addition, Roberts stressed that technology could also tackle corruption and crime, while collective leadership was vital to retain young talent and rebuild trust.
“Africa’s progress depends on courage, collaboration, and decisive leadership to turn volatility into long-term opportunity,” he said.
Sub-Saharan Africa is beset by disgruntlement by youth over economic problems, crime and corruption.
Celiwe Ross, Director: Group Strategy, Sustainability, People and Public Affairs at Old Mutual, shared that leadership needs to combine technology and empathy to uplift people in changing times.
She advocated that African markets required solutions built for local realities, noting that by 2050 one in four people in the world would be African, many of whom live and work within informal economies.
Ross emphasised that leadership success is defined by the positive change it inspires in others, keeping humanity at the centre of transformation.
The summit, held under the theme, Igniting Africa’s Future, featured keynote talks and panel discussions, exploring the cutting edge of AI, spatial computing, robotics and digital transformation.
– CAJ News