I believe the growth of software applications and operation in Nigeria and Africa at large has been eminent which has been made possible with the creative effort of key personalities.
It’s a pleasure to adjudge Hilary’s article on “Software as a Service” to explore and fill knowledge gaps.
In the grand scheme of things, I have been an ardent follower of IT trends and evolution, well versed in software development and analytics. My passion has swung me to garnering a wealth of experience in tech having spent more than 11 years in several units including fintech; improving payment infrastructures, application invention, programming, software testing and quality assurance all through the practical experiences from numerous companies to improve the quality of businesses and other thriving sectors.
Having this constructive piece on the Tribune’s column is believed to spark awareness on current innovative tech initiatives further driving the need for technological inspiration.
Review:
Hilary’s article, “Software as a Service (SaaS) beams as Africa’s Technology Giant For Growth and Impact” is an impactful loaf of comprehensive insight thrown at Software as a tech component and “Software as a Service” (SaaS) also as an industry input.
The centerpiece of the work underscores the advantages, growth-process and challenges faced with the industry.
Further examining how the industry can implement better impact in Africa.
There’s an observed intellectual depth in most parts of the article due to the logical x-ray of software applications and the premise surrounding its operation.
The article had effectively highlighted the advantages of SaaS, bringing on core themes like scalability, cost efficiency, accessibility and security which suffices well enough for credibility, while the pitfalls of SaaS were also identified and explored.
Good a thing that Hilary was never shy to discuss the challenges plaguing SaaS as an industry ranging from data infrastructure, regulatory irregularity and talent development, that the dependency on the internet is rather dwarfed because of the unreliable connectivity in many African regions; a risk associated with data security and cloud-based solutions, all of which are valid and worthy to note.
However, these issues as robust as they appear would have been better explored with robust solutions. Fair that Hilary pinched on a few ways to mitigating this challenge, identifying alternate solutions would have contributed to bridging knowledge gaps, further broadening the perspective of the article.
This is in line with the subtle art of even writing; where there’s a balance of a dominant opinion (problem) with a follow-up opinion (sufficient solutions), projecting sufficient clarity.
It’s laudable that the article gave a fantastic outline of current data and points in SaaS as an industry. Mentioning the issue of mobile subscribers and the rapid increase of internet penetration in Africa is noteworthy, especially since it’s a concern, but having a bit more exploration would have been helpful and add to the strength of the claims.
Intelligently, Hilary buttressed the involvement of the Government on SaaS’ industry, this argument provided clear execution pathways but was only Nigeria-specific.
Solutions on governmental involvement in other countries in a varied form would have bolstered the overall effect of the argument.
Frankly, beyond the efficiency and beautiful contributions of SaaS to economic development in Africa leading to job creation and digital inclusion, Hilary excelled to key the socio-economic impact of the industry.
There’s an ongoing digital divide in Africa, while there’s more access to technology, the bobbling question pose; are they affordable?
Are they literate enough to play through the digital space appropriately? These are insights addressed in the article, giving it a rich dimension for comprehensive impact.
Worthy to mention is the fantastic projections of SaaS in the future Hilary highlighted. This, inadvertently, is my favorite part of the article because here comes the essence why “beam” was chosen as a choice of word for the article’s headline.
Projections far away to 2030 spotlights technological shifts and inventions that would positively influence the SaaS landscape in Africa.
They include advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and IoT, all providing ultimate solutions to future human problems.
To wrap my observations, Hilary’s software-oriented article is yet another scholarly attempt to add to the tech knowledge bank, providing a solid foundation for understanding SaaS’ industry and the potentials it possesses in Africa.
In as much as some areas were left gray with very little details to grapple with, the article overall, is beautiful and insightful.
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Chibuzor Obilom is software professional whose intelligent input were put to fore in companies such as RightClick, Vatebra, NIBSS, Flutterwave and M-KOPA. Applications such as CentralPay, CMMS, mCASH, NCS, ICAD, eBillsPay, I’m Alive, GSI, BVN, and NIP are to his name, serving as veritable solutions in tech, breaking the bias and pushing Africa’s tech landscape forward.
