FoSTDIC TALK: Thank you for giving us the opportunity for this interview. Could you please introduce yourself?

Dr. Shiyghan Navti: I am the Technical leader for IBM’s PureApplication Systems in Europe.

My mission is to accelerate revenue growth by enabling the rapid adoption of a new category of Computing IT Systems.I spent two and a half years as the Africa Expansion Strategy and Marketing Leader and was a member of the team that developed IBM’s 2011-2015 growth strategy for Africa. Currently I lead the Technology Advisory board of the African & Caribbean Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise in the UK. I’m also a board member and Director of the Africa 2.0 Foundation and author of the Africa 2.0 Manifesto which proposes a collective vision, solutions that transcend boarders and address common challenges.

FoSTDIC TALK: During your time in Africa as Strategy and Marketing Leader Middle East and Africa, what exactly was your mission?

Dr. Shiyghan Navti: Geographic Expansion is a key growth play for the IBM Company. I took on the Africa role at a pre-startup phase, motivated by my passion to grow the IBM business. With very limited resources, we were able to build the base for IBM’s expansion into Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Angola, Senegal and Tanzania. As a core team member of the IBM Africa Strategy project, I acted as the focal point for engagement with McKinsey on the development of the 2011-2015 Africa Strategy for Angola, Ghana and Nigeria.

FoSTDIC TALK: Increasingly, the talk is about sustaining the social and economic development of sub-Saharan countries through north-south technology and know-how transfer in various technical fields and applications, thus making local innovation possible. According to you, what are the best transport vehicles to properly realize this technology and know-how transfer?

Dr. Shiyghan Navti: I believe that Africans in the Diaspora have a key role to play, and in my view, this has to be underpinned by entrepreneurship and a desire to create wealth and value to all stakeholders. In the 60s and 70s, those of our forefathers who were fortunate enough to have an opportunity to study overseas, went back home without any practical experience of working in the much more mature markets. In recent years, many of Africa’s brightest have moved overseas and secure senior business, management and technical position in some of the world’s most celebrated companies. We need to find a way to get these professionals engaged in building Africa’s future. We need to find a way for them to apply their knowledge and knowhow

FoSTDIC TALK: It is known that more than 60% of Africans are under the age of 24 and jobless. So there is a need of job creation. According to you, how can local innovations leads to job creation or other opportunities?

Dr. Shiyghan Navti: We need to invest in local enterprise…and by investment; I do not simply mean financial investment, but investment in know-how and capacity building. In today’s world, a billion dollar company can be created in a few years simply with a brain and a computer. That’s where Africa needs to get to, and the young generation has a role to play. ICT has to underpin Africa’s growth strategy and is the key to addressing the unemployment challenges.

FoSTDIC TALK: We are very pleased to have you as one of our experts at 2012 FoSTDIC. What do you expectat from this symposium?

Dr. Shiyghan Navti: I am and have always been passionate about Africa, about technology and about creating value networks where 1+1=3. This in my view is a very important forum for Cameroon’s future development. I would like to network and identify partners for my NexInnova (www.nexinnova.com) initiative, a project aimed at identifying ICT experts committed to partnering with a view to identifying and jointly exploring ICT opportunities in Africa. Through my fresh ideas, my knowledge of technology trends and of Africa I intend to influence the outcome of this symposium.

FoSTDIC TALK: What do you say to encourage the audience to visit the VKII-FoSTDIC12?

Dr. Shiyghan Navti: I recently spent 2 years leading IBM’s expansion into Africa. I travelled across a large number of African countries, met numerous stakeholders and played a role in shaping IBM’s Africa strategy. Anyone interested in a real experience narration of the opportunities Africa presents should be interested in my presentation. I would also use this session to explore how technology can underpin Africa’s future prosperity. When most people think of Africa, they think of minerals. When I reflect on Africa, I see the ICT opportunities, underpinned by Africa’s young population.