IBM’s 10-Year Cognitive Computing plan in Africa

Africa very well needs solutions to address many issues affecting its economy and growth one of which are innovations and technology that can hinder having a better lifestyle and answers to many needs. In view of this, Africans are set to receive solutions on cognitive computing by The International Business Machine (IBM) given their new 10-year business model. Nairobi and Kenya yesterday received this new plan by IBM at their Cognitive Colloquium, which seeks to drive the new era of computing in Africa.

The 10-year business model tagged ‘Project Lucy & Africa in the New Era of Computing’, will fine tune cognitive computing in Africa. . In order to meet the needs of Africans in today’s digital world, the project borders on developing data beneficial to different sectors of the African economy.

Dr Robber Morris, President, Global Labs, IBM Research in the Colloquium, Vice said the Project Lucy is an approach by IBM to almost erase paper works by introducing digital technology and focus on solution data that would address key challenges in Africa.

“IBM has a strong belief that the major challenge of Africans is lack of enough information. The plan therefore is to build the cognitive hub in Kenya, which is sensitive computer networks that will be connected to the cloud, where people could download information on education, health and others sectors of the African economy. It will help Africans to have access to useful information for research and businesses among others,” Morris said.

“With cognitive computing, Africans could use their mobile phones to ask relevant questions on health and other areas of interest to human Endeavour and receive instant answers through the phone” Morris added.

Vice-President and Chief Technical Officer of the Watson Initiative, Dr. Rob High, said “the Lucy project is jeered towards solving global social problems in healthcare, water technology among others, similar to the to the Watson initiative, developed in 2011, lots of data have been developed and used in addressing global challenges, which is exactly what IBM wants to achieve in Africa, through Project Lucy”

[pull_quote_right]With cognitive computing, Africans could use their mobile phones to ask relevant questions on health and other areas of interest to human Endeavour and receive instant answers through the phone[/pull_quote_right]

A panel session was arranged and the Director-General of Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre for Excellence in ICT, Dr. Dorothy Gordon, Deputy Director, MIT Energy Initiative, Dr. Robert Stoner, among others, further discussed what the IBM Cognitive Colloquium means to Africans and how Africans could establish business from it that could create jobs opportunities for the African youths, one of which was matters on healthcare services that could benefit from this project are such as deadly diseases like Tuberculosis and Malaria in the Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to Gordon, “Our continent is in a rapid transitional phase and nobody knows how to give better information on the right data that will enable people ask the right questions that will help them build the African future. The IBM Cognitive Computing will therefore address the situation to a larger extent.”

We do hope that these measures are put in place and also introduced to Nigeria sooner to address pressing healthcare issues like Sickle cell Anemia and other known diseases.