The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Recolonisation of Africa

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Recolonisation of Africa
Author: Everisto Benyera
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2021-04-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000396762

This book argues that the fourth industrial revolution, the process of accelerated automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices via digital technology, will serve to further marginalise Africa within the international community. In this book, the author argues that the looting of Africa that started with human capital and then natural resources, now continues unabated via data and digital resources looting. Developing on the notion of "Coloniality of Data", the fourth industrial revolution is postulated as the final phase which will conclude Africa’s peregrination towards recolonisation. Global cartels, networks of coloniality, and tech multinational corporations have turned big data into capital, which is largely unregulated or poorly regulated in Africa as the continent lacks the strong institutions necessary to regulate the mining of data. Written from a decolonial perspective, this book employs three analytical pillars of coloniality of power, knowledge and being. Highlighting the crippling continuation of asymmetrical global power relations, this book will be an important read for researchers of African studies, politics and international political economy. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781003157731, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license

Africa's Fourth Industrial Revolution

Africa's Fourth Industrial Revolution
Author: Landry Signé
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2023-03-31
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 100920002X

With the rise of new technologies and disruptive innovations reshaping the global economy, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has been characterized as a fusion between the physical, digital, and biological worlds. From the increasing adoption of mobile devices to the entrepreneurial use of 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and robotics, trends across Africa speak to the continent's potential for growth and sustainable development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In this innovative and timely study, Landry Signé examines the meaning, drivers, and implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for Africa. Drawing upon comparative, continent-wide analysis, Signé powerfully challenges our understandings of Africa's transformation and sheds light on the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to change and shape the Global South. By defining and investigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Signé develops a valuable framework for further study and suggests strategies that Africans and their global partners can use to capitalize upon this rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Africa and the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Africa and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Author: Everisto Benyera
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 163
Release: 2021-11-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3030875245

This book examines the epistemological, political, and socio-economic consequences of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) for Africa. Presenting various case studies on epistemic freedom, theology, race and robotics, tertiary education, political and economic transformation, human capital, and governance, it debates whether the 4IR will be part of the solution to the African problem, namely that of coloniality in its various forms. Solving the African problem using the 4IR requires ethical, just and epistemologically independent leadership. However, the lack of ICT infrastructure militates against Africa’s endeavours to make the 4IR a problem-solving moment. To its credit, Africa possesses some of the major capital needed (human, mineral, and social), and it constitutes a huge market comprising a young population eager to participate in the 4IR as problem-solvers and not as a problem to be solved—as equal citizens and not as the marginalized other.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa

The Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa
Author: David Mhlanga
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 387
Release: 2023-07-11
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3031286863

This edited volume, the third in a three-volume set, discusses implications of The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in Africa. By rebuilding natural ecosystems, linking billions to digital networks, and better managing assets, the world may be able to undo the damage done by the industrial revolutions. There are, however, significant concerns that institutions will not be able to adapt, that governments will not adopt and regulate new technologies to reap their benefits, that power shifts will result in serious new security threats, that inequality will increase, and that societies will break apart. Written by an international panel of experts, analyzes the potential of smart technology across sectors and industries in Africa to bring about long-term, sustainable growth.

Closing the Gap

Closing the Gap
Author: Tshilidzi Marwala
Publisher:
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2020
Genre: Technological innovations
ISBN: 9781770107878

Closing the Gap is an accessible overview of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and the impact it is set to have on various sectors in South Africa and Africa. It explores the previous industrial revolutions that have led up to this point and outlines what South Africa's position has been through each one. With a focus on artificial intelligence as a core concept in understanding the 4IR, the book uses familiar concepts to explain artificial intelligence is, how it works and how it can be used in banking, mining, medicine and many other fields. Written from an African perspective, Closing the Gap addresses the challenges and fears around the 4IR by pointing to the opportunities presented by new technologies and outlining some of the challenges and successes seen with it.

Leap 4.0. African Perspectives on the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Leap 4.0. African Perspectives on the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Author: Zamanzima Mazibuko-Makena
Publisher: African Books Collective
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2021-04-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1928509185

Leap 4.0: African Perspectives on the Fourth Industrial Revolution seeks to identify the challenges and opportunities the 4IR presents to South Africa and the rest of the African continent, especially to workers and marginalised sectors of society. Authors examine the prerequisites for the successful introduction of the 4IR, including infrastructure, skilled personnel and appropriate regulation. They underline the importance of inclusive innovation, with a deliberate objective to create net new jobs and reduce inequality. The 4IR is well established in many parts of the world, with technological advances driving profound social and economic change. However, for many developing countries, particularly countries in Africa, the 4IR may not offer the anticipated 'leap' forward. There is a danger that the continent may find itself dictated to by experiences that are not in tune with its social contexts.

The Political Legacy of Colonialism in Zimbabwe

The Political Legacy of Colonialism in Zimbabwe
Author: Everisto Benyera
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2024
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781032791586

This book investigates the political legacy of colonialism in contemporary African institutions. Using the case study of electoral and justice institutions in postcolonial Zimbabwe, the book investigates how those in postcolonial states relate to and with institutions which were originally designed to oppress them and remain structurally and systematically colonial. The book argues that the colonial era colonised the land, knowledge, and minds of Africans, resulting in injustice and epistemicide. The book demonstrates how the key institutions of elections and justice have been rendered anti-Black and toxic. The book calls for Africa to invest in epistemic independence, unencumbered by western political modernity, and to then deploy that independence to build reconstituted institutions, structures, and systems which serve the interests of Africans. This book will be an important read for African policy makers and researchers working on African politics, governance, and international relations.

The 4IR and the Humanities in South Africa

The 4IR and the Humanities in South Africa
Author: Bhaso Ndzendze
Publisher: AOSIS
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2024-05-28
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1991271077

The world is at a crossroads because of industrial change, compounded by a global pandemic. Humanities and social science education is grappling with the meaning of this change, to the effect that there have been some anxieties and misguided perceptions about the irrelevance of the humanities in this emerging new world. With the emergence of new technologies, this book highlights the indispensable centrality of humanity and the humanities going forward. The book will provide a reference point for new and innovative approaches to the humanities in the 4IR in South Africa and Africa. Its diverse content means that it will be useful across the humanities and social science spectrum.