Samuel John: Russian Technology Could Help Africa Catch Up in the Digital Sphere
A Nigerian participant in the Second Global Digital Forum spoke about which Russian technologies he saw during a tour of VDNKh impressed him most and what he hopes African countries could adopt.
One of the fall's biggest IT events opens tomorrow, when the Second Global Digital Forum gets underway in Moscow's Gorky Park. Ahead of the event, participants visited VDNKh, where they spoke with a reporter from the IT Russia media platform about their impressions and expectations for the upcoming sessions. Samuel John of Nigeria, for example, was particularly interested in video surveillance and road safety systems:
– At the exhibition, I was particularly interested in the section on the development of computer technology from 1995 to the present day. It's very impressive. I also liked the road safety technologies and the way you keep vehicles safe. I think this reduces the risk of traffic accidents, which is very important. I was also very impressed by Russia's video surveillance system. In Sochi, for example, we saw a rapid-response system: when an accident happens, emergency responders arrive immediately, which helps save more lives. I believe that reduces the mortality rate. I would be very interested in learning more about technologies like these.
As for the Global Digital Forum, I expect a lot from it. I'll be speaking about artificial intelligence during a panel session. I'm interested in how we can adopt some technologies, including AI, from Russia and bring them to Africa: we have a lot of catching up to do.
Bridging the digital divide between countries is set to be one of the main themes of the Global Digital Forum.
