Africa now has a rare chance to compete fairly in the global digital economy as access to computing power has become cheaper and easier. This was the view of the Chief Information Officer of MTN Nigeria, Shoyinka Shodunke, who said Africans can now rent computing power for as little as 50 dollars instead of spending over 100,000 dollars on physical infrastructure.
He spoke while delivering the keynote address on the digital economy forecast for 2026 at the Tech Revolution Africa Conference 2.0 held in Lagos and headlined by MTN.
Speaking on the theme The Big Bold Step, Shodunke said the fourth industrial revolution is different from previous ones because Africa now has a real chance to compete if it moves quickly. He explained that in today’s world, data is the main input and the factory is no longer a physical space but the cloud. According to him, Africa missed out on the first three industrial revolutions and paid a heavy price each time, warning that failure to act now would attract the same consequences.
He noted that what makes the current era unique is that growth no longer depends on heavy capital investment. With cloud services, global access to talent and locally generated data, startups and businesses can scale faster without building large data centres. He stressed that the real danger is not lack of technology but fear of change, especially the fear of disrupting old business models and comfortable systems, which could keep organisations stuck in the past.
Using MTN as an example, Shodunke said the company had to deliberately disrupt itself by moving beyond voice and data into areas such as cloud services, fintech and intelligent digital platforms. He warned that history has never been kind to those who delay action, urging African businesses and leaders to act boldly. According to him, the digital race has already begun and while Africa is no longer late, hesitation could still leave the continent watching others take the lead.