GSMA Schedules More Speakers for Mobile 360-Africa Confab

The GSMA on Monday announced additional speakers for the 2015 Mobile 360 – Africa conference, including executives from organisations such as China Mobile, Huawei, the Internet Society, MasterCard, MTN, Orange and UNICEF.

The event will take place 7-9 October at the African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel and Spa in Cape Town and MTN will again be the Platinum Sponsor.

In addition to the main conference, which includes keynote addresses, fireside chats, pitch sessions and panel discussions, Mobile 360 – Africa will incorporate additional programmes that highlight the initiatives and activities undertaken by the GSMA Mobile for Development programme.

“Mobile connectivity is playing a key role in enabling the inclusion of the underserved in the social and economic development of many African countries,” said Michael O’Hara, chief marketing officer, GSMA.

“Sub-Saharan Africa is an exciting and fast-growing mobile market and at the Mobile 360 – Africa, we will focus on the critical issues facing Africa in areas such as connectivity, mobile money and digital identity, among others. The event will provide an invaluable opportunity for attendees to share their experiences and expand the positive impact of mobile throughout this vibrant region.”

At Mobile 360 – Africa, CEOs and senior executives from leading mobile companies and players throughout the digital ecosystem will address the most pressing trends and issues in mobile.

Keynote speakers confirmed to present include: Eric Chinje, CEO, African Media Initiative; Erik Hersman, CEO, BRCK, Founder, iHub Nairobi and Co-Founder, Ushahidi; Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Chairman, GSMA; Alex Sinclair, Acting Director General, GSMA; Marek Zmysłowski, Managing Director, Jovago.com; Candice Goodman, CEO, Mobitainment and Chair Emeritus, MMA; Sifiso Dabengwa, Executive Director, Group President and CEO, MTN Group and Sanjana Bhardwaj, Chief Of Health and Nutrition, UNICEF South Africa.

With the overall event theme of “Accelerating Social and Economic Empowerment”, each session will tackle a different aspect of the empowerment story.

Keynotes and sessions will delve into subjects such as “The Power to Connect: Providing Access for All”, “The Power to Discover: Local Content and Digital Literacy”, “The Power to Borrow, Save and Spend: Building the Mobile Financial Ecosystem”, “The Power to Innovate: Growing Start-Up Ecosystems and Cultivating Entrepreneurship” and many others.