Institutions of higher learning in Africa as well as Small and Medium Enterprises are progressively embracing the need to digitize services in their day-day operations. This was showcased in the discussions during the Digital Transformation Summit that was organised by the DigiT Project, and hosted at the Transcentury Auditorium, Strathmore University, in partnership with TU-K on Friday 14th March 2025.
The summit themed “Digital Transformation for competitive advantage” attracted students and members of staff from the two universities.
Additionally, the summit provided a platform for the students and staff to gain global perspectives on digital transformation from international experts such as Simon Birkett, a senior consultant in digital transformation of teaching, learning and assessment in higher education at Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and Mili Kacher a management consultant specialising in business transformation.
The two experts emphasised the importance of collaboration to ensure alignment with decision makers in charge of resource mobilization for digital transformation. They also emphasised on the need for strategic planning that is development of a digital transformation plan that outlines a clear vision, and strategic plan to drive a successful and sustainable digital transformation of key services in an organisation.
In addition to the insightful presentations from global experts, Prof. Selassio Kiura, the Director, Information and Communication Technology, and the project coordinator for TU-K, moderated an informative panel session consisting of experts drawn from the private and public sectors as well as civil society.
The panelists argued that even though SMEs and institutions of higher learning are progressively embracing a digital culture, the level of digital transformation is uneven. One of the panelists, Dr. Bernadette Kiarie, an Instructional Designer, eLearning Directorate at USIU-Africa noted: “The digitization process is slow and uneven because organisations are differently resourced and autonomous.”
Key takeaways in the panel session was the need to grow an appetite for change. This involves sensitization on the digital culture, and identification of change makers and drivers who influence the digitisation process. As such, organisations also need to understand their area of operations so that they identify the forces that drive digital transformation. Thereafter they should be able to build enthusiasm as well as key competencies required for digitization.
The panelists also advocated for the need for a shared vision, and continuous capacity building that involves unlearning old systems, learning new ones and re-learning to keep up with emerging trends. Additionally, in any digitization process, the panelist also recommended onboarding of all staff involved in key operation areas that require digitisation.
Dr. Geofry Otieno, a Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry and Material Science at TU-K, challenged the participants to collaborate and become change agents to champion digital transformation in their respective departments.
TU-K has a memorandum of Understanding with Erasmus+ DIGITAFRICA Project for capacity building in the field of Higher Education. The three-year project (January 2023 - January 2026) is funded by the European Commission.
