Marketing & Media trends
Industry trends
Sponsors
ICT trends
5G is coming. Here's what it could mean for SA
Samantha Naidoo
Agriculture trends
Automotive trends
Construction & Engineering trends
CSI & Sustainability trends
5 sustainability trends that will shape business in 2021
Christelle Marais4 trends set to continue or be re-interpreted in the NGO sector
Innocent MasayiraStrengthening NPO skills and processes
Nazeema Mohamed, Feryal Domingo and Soraya JoonasSustainability is key for social investment in 2021
Keri-Leigh Paschal
Education trends
4 trends in employee skills development and training you need to know for 2021
Siphelele Kubheka and Desikan Naidoo
Energy & Mining trends
Digital solutions need small steps to succeed
Xanthe AdamsMining looks ahead to more Covid risk
Ralf HenneckeMining's year ahead will demand deep innovation
Frederick Cawood
Entrepreneurship trends
Finance trends
10 predictions around fintech
Dominique CollettThe 4 themes for the new year
Andrew Duvenage,3 wealth management trends to watch in 2021
Maarten Ackerman4 strategies to rethink investing in SMEs
Kuhle MnisiMicroinsurance ready to reach new heights
Marius BothaFinding alpha in the age of Covid-19
Nema Ramkhelawan-BhanaPurpose or profit. It's not a choice
Mike MiddletonShifting towards a digital - but still human - approach
Henry van Deventer
Healthcare trends
Healthcare innovation in 2021 and beyond
Reynhardt UysAre day hospitals the new trend?
Lee Callakoppen3 emerging medical scheme membership patterns
Nerine BrinkHealthcare innovations to look out for
Moshe Lichtenstein
HR & Management trends
Legal trends
3 big issues demanding legal attention this year
Jonathan Veeran, Nozipho Mngomezulu and Burton Phillips
Lifestyle trends
Wine in the wake of corona
Kristen Duff and Gosia Young7 prospects and necessary shifts for the arts
Rucera Seethal
Logistics & Transport trends
Marketing & Media trends
Tech democratisation will set the tone for 2021
Andrew Smit and Johan Walters
Property trends
Auction industry survival depends on going virtual
Joff van ReenenCovid-19 drives new trends in local property market
Marcél du Toit
Retail trends
A bold year for beverages
Alex GlendayAcceleration of digital payments
Jonathan SmitSafety vs sustainability - the packaging industry's key conundrum
Nthabiseng MotsoenengThe evolving e-tail landscape
Vilo TrskaThe path forward for retail in 2021
Matthew Leighton
Covid-19
ICT jobs
- Senior C#/Mobile Developer - Xamarin Pretoria
- Mobile Developer - React Native Johannesburg
- Intermediate Oracle Developer Johannesburg
- Customer Support Line Operator Stellenbosch
- Senior Flutter Mobile Developer Johannesburg
- Data Science/Cloud Engineer Pretora
- Senior Java Developer Johannesburg
- User Experience Writer Cape Town
- Mid-Level Project Manager Cape Town
- Senior C#/DevOps Engineer Johannesburg
Advertise your job ad on Bizcommunity
#BizTrends2021: How we can create new ways to adapt to our new days
Musa Kalenga, CEO and founder of Bridge Labs, delivered a keynote talk at the #BizTrends2021 live virtual event. In his talk, Kalenga discussed creating new ways to adapt to our new days. He shared insights regarding API and its relation to humanity, our leadership, what we eat, how we communicate, and the treatment of our future female leaders.
In each point that he mentioned, he offered an example and explanation of how we may go about making this change to adapt to the present norm.
The first thing he addressed is a research report by the Board of Innovation. He explained the report as a piece of information on how people have managed from the time Covid emerged to the present day.
“The research report speaks about the shift that has happened across multiple sectors and areas, but it is primarily focused on how industry dynamics, technology, regulation, macroeconomics, and geopolitics have changed,” said Kalenga.
Musa Kalenga presents "New ways for New Days" at #BizTrends2021 online
Musa Kalenga was one of eight speakers at the BizTrends2021 online event "Towards New Norths & New Narratives" on Thursday, 28 January 2021...
Evan-Lee Courie 26 Jan 2021
He pointed out that this information could be used to make a fundamental change in the way we operate throughout the day in the near future.
“It's important to understand that the results and changes indicated in the report create opportunities for us to capitalise on. The results and changes have forced us to do things differently, but at the same time it has allowed us to adopt new ways of thinking about new technologies.”
Advanced technology
His next point was about the concept of how advanced technology could seem indistinguishable from magic to us.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic – Arthur C Clark
He used the above quote aptly to explain this trend and made an example of it by mentioning that the technology of instant messaging would seem like magic to those living thousands of years ago.
He also then mentioned an educational technology company that he uses for his children. The company connects primary school teachers, students, and families through communication features, such as a feed for photos and videos from the school day, and messaging.
It was magical when it happened the first time. One day I got home and my kids were around the table and I say to my son: ‘So I saw the picture that you drew of that motor car. What brand of car was that?’ He looked at me in a bit of a bewildered way because he didn't know how I had that information and I did the same with my daughter, she gave me the same strange look.Kalenga is essentially predicting that because of our current norm we will soon see magical tech to help us adapt.
The API humanity
He predicted that application programming interface (API) technology will be used in a human way. This means that we can become a conduit for information and knowledge, which he said will help close the developmental gap between Africa and the rest of the world.
His explanation on API:
The same thing that a platform like Waze doesn't have to build a music interface they integrate into iTunes. So, what APIs do is they allow you to be able to create new kinds of value for a new day that we live in.He pointed out that integrating this type of technology into our daily lives will help us progress quicker and easier.
A new way to eat, communicate and lead
He stated that if we don’t change the way that we eat, we will be faced with a problem of productivity. Kalenga believes that productivity, at its core, is what drives nations forward.
“Food security becomes a crucial thing that we have to debate, discuss and understand because we have to create a new way for this brand new day.”
He also believes that there's a new way for us to communicate.
“I know a lot of hotels during this time have closed down and have faced major challenges, but imagine the innovation that could come out of hotels thinking about a new way to communicate.”
He said that finding a new way to communicate during lockdown restrictions would fundamentally change things for consumers and those that are away from their families and friends.
He also said that we need to find a way to lead.
I think we are challenged in a number of different ways when it comes to Africa, but if you look at the movements that are happening all over the world, you will see that they're being driven fundamentally by young people taking up the mantle to lead.He explained that this new way of leading can gain value by different generations partnering or developing mentorship type of relationships.
“Changing who's leading and who's having the conversation and driving the discussion is critical to how we're going to respond to the new day that we're in closer to home the same kind of discussions are starting to become mainstream.”
A new way to look at our female leaders
He said that corporates and organisations will be faced with a huge challenge if we don’t identify our female leaders soon and support them.