After earning bachelor’s and master\u2019s degrees in engineering in Kenya and an MBA from Bond University in Australia, she went to work for Kenya Posts and Telecommunications, the country\u2019s only telcom operator at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have done everything that you can do in engineering from climbing poles and connecting wires,\u201d she recalled, speaking from her office in South Africa.<\/p>\n
In 2002, she joined Boeing where she directed Africa-wide policy including regulatory affairs governmental relations and became Qualcomm\u2019s first hire in Africa in 2006 \u2013 when the American company opened an office in Johannesburg. She describes Qualcomm as \u201cboth an inventor and an enabler.\u201d Her first assignment at the company was creating the \u201cenabling environment for 3G\u201d – the third generation of wireless communication that offered faster data transfer and better voice quality for the mobile networks that were growing rapidly across the continent.<\/p>\n
To prepare the continent for adapting new technology involved aggressive messaging. \u201cWe had to convince governments and operating partners we’re gonna need a set of spectrum – and that wasn\u2019t easy,\u201d she recalled. People were \u201chappily doing SMS \u2013 and making money\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest standard – 5G – \u201cis not just a faster 4G,\u201d but \u201ca developmental enablement for other sectors,\u201d she said. \u201cWe now can do innovative things, appropriate things in education, health and transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n
In December, Qualcomm launched the Africa Innovation Platform, \u201ca suite of mentorship, education and training programs created to support the development of Africa\u2019s emerging technology ecosystem,\u201d and pledged to support African universities and small-to-medium-size startups.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe programs that make up this platform will ultimately help African companies service markets throughout the continent and realize their global ambitions, further accelerating the growth of Africa\u2019s creation economy,\u201d Migwalla said in the announcement released during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n
Migwalla sees growing opportunities across Africa. \u201cThis region has been a good adopter, moving from 2G to 3G to 4G and now 5G.\u201d With everyone getting digitally connected, new approaches are required. \u201cOver 60% of Africa’s population under the age of 25 – equivalent to about 800 million people. They are digital natives and they are data hungry. Formal employment is not available or probably not desirable. They want to be entrepreneurs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Qualcomm wants to help create a generation of innovators, using the platform developed and used in other regions, she said. One element- the Qualcomm Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program – is slated to begin in April. \u201cThis is an equity free mentoring program, and we want to use it to identify promising early-stage startups,\u201d she said. The company will provide connectivity and hardware, as well as business coaching , engineering consultation and guidance on protecting intellectual property.<\/p>\n
Another element of the Innovation Platform is a university relations program \u201cto bolster research and educational capabilities of select African universities\u201d by providing research labs and Qualcomm developer kits. \u201cWe have kick-started the work with a university in Cameroon, and we have an association with a Safaricom digital talent initiative in Kenya,\u201d Migwalla said, adding that other university partners are being identified.<\/p>\n
Qualcomm Wireless Academy, which Migwalla describes as \u201cthe global training arm of our company,\u201d fosters an early-stage talent pipeline and \u201cdrives digital, inclusive economic transformation\u201d with 5G training and certification.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a combination of all these that we want to bring to Africa,\u201d Migwalla said, with continent-wide reach. There will be lots of participants from countries like Nigeria and Kenya, where technology startups are numerous, but also from small countries. Gender equity will be a key part of every initiative. \u201cRemember I\u2019m speaking as one of the few women policy practitioners in this field for over 20 years, who has mentored ladies in many African countries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Migwalla believes innovation is so important to Africa\u2019s development. \u201cTechnology must be used to solve real problems, and it’s got to be relevant,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfrica must digitally transform. We cannot be left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Elizabeth Migwalla chose electrical engineering as her major at Nairobi University in the mid-1970s, \u201cwomen didn’t do that,\u201d she recalled in a recent interview. After more than three decades in the telecommunications field, she is currently the top executive in Africa at Qualcomm, a leading technology company that has launched a major expansion across Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":28177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,21],"tags":[7,26,22],"class_list":{"0":"post-28180","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-technology","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-technology"},"yoast_head":"\n