Digital Entrepreneurship - Building Future-Ready SMEs

Digital transformation has fundamentally shifted how SMEs operate, creating unprecedented opportunities for innovation-driven growth. Unlike traditional skill-building, this revolution focuses on entrepreneurship education that teaches SMEs to harness emerging technologies for competitive advantage. The digital economy now offers SMEs the ability to scale rapidly without traditional infrastructure constraints, enabling entrepreneurs to build direct-to-consumer channels, implement data-driven decision making, and create sustainable competitive advantages through innovation. This represents a paradigm shift from operational efficiency to transformational growth strategies that redefine market positioning and access to global markets previously beyond their reach.

The panel will examine how digital innovation education differs from conventional training, focusing on creative problem-solving, technology adoption strategies, and new revenue model development. Discussions will cover practical applications of emerging technologies, market disruption tactics, and sustainable growth frameworks enabled by digital entrepreneurship.

Speakers

Rebecca Harrison

Rebecca Harrison

CEO & Co-Founder, African Management Institute

Vittorio Di Bello

Vittorio Di Bello

Director, Financial Institutions Group, LAC/EUR, International Finance Corporation

Loyiso Tyira

Loyiso Tyira

Chairperson, Technology Innovation Agency (TIA)

Chilufya Mutale-Mwila

Chilufya Mutale-Mwila

Co-founder & CEO, Eshandi

Moderator

Natalie Jabangwe

Natalie Jabangwe

Chief Executive Officer, Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation