The Africa Blockchain Conference that is slated for the 3rd and 4th July, will have a very special guest in attendance. The world-famous humanoid robot, Sophia, will grace the two-day Conference and Tech Expo that will take place at the Kampala Serena Hotel with other notable personalities like President HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the Sierra Leone President, HE Julius Maasa Bio.
Sophia which uses artificial intelligence, facial recognition and visual data processing to function was developed by Hanson Robotics and introduced to the world in February 2016. Sophia can display more than 50 facial expressions and was the first non-human to be given any United Nations title (United Nations Development Programme’s first-ever Innovation Champion for Asia and the Pacific) is also the first robot to receive citizenship of any country.
This year’s conference theme will be ‘’Africa 4.0: Preparing Africa for the 4th Industrial Revolution’’ and will focus on what the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is, what opportunities it presents, what threats it poses and what Africa must do to leverage 4IR for its development. It is organized by CryptoSavannah and the Blockchain Association of Uganda with the support of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance.
Alongside the conference, will run the “Africa 4.0 Tech Expo,” an experiential journey showcasing the leading technology innovations and applications in Africa. The Conference and Tech Expo will host 3,000 people, comprising the public and private sector, experts and leaders from global technology companies, entrepreneurs, innovators, students, youth and government representatives. Topics to be discussed include Africa’s readiness for the 4th Industrial Revolution, Fintech, payment systems and digital financial services, the future of work and education, SDGs and technology for impact.
Commenting on Sophia’s participation in this year’s Africa Blockchain Conference, Kwame Rugunda, the Chairman of the Blockchain Association of Uganda, said; “We are pleased to be hosting Sophia at this year’s Conference. She highlights many of the topics of interest that will be discussed at the Conference and shows how technology is enriching humanity. It’s human-like appearance and ability to express emotions will be a major attraction for all those that will be in attendance. Sophia also featured at this year’s Transform Africa Summit that happened in Kigali, Rwanda.”
Some of the companies to confirm participation in the upcoming expo include; MTN Uganda, Andela, Ubuntu Group, Project Hydro, Sunstone SAS, Input/Output, Flutterwave, Crossroads, CITL International, Ubuntu group, Yo Uganda, KLF Coin, Kwiksy, Century Group and Huobi.
There will be 50 speakers at the conference some of which include; Sheikh Khaled Al Nehayan, Chairman Bin Zayed Group, Mohamed Taysir, CEO Drakon Tech Solutions, Toro Orero, Partner QI Holdings, Ian Balina, Founder 100X Advisors.
