Sophia the humanoid robot to attend Transform Africa 2019 summit in Kigali

Smart Africa,has announced that Sophia, the 1st humanoid robot will take part in the Transform Africa Summit due 14 - 17 May 2019, in Kigali, Rwanda.

The organizers of the summit revealed this in a tweet sent out on Monday, also noting that Sofia's participation in the summit is,“ an amazing addition to the lineup.”

The summit will be held under the theme “Boosting Africa’s Digital Economy”.

Sophia is expected to speak during discussions around artificial intelligence and the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Sophia,  a citizen of Saudi Arabia and a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Ambassador, has the ability to see, follow faces, sustain eye contact, and recognise individuals.  

 She can also process speech, have conversations using a natural language subsystem, and can walk.

On November 21, 2017 Sophia was named the United Nations Development Programme’s first-ever Innovation Champion.

The summit will host high profile speakers and panellists, including Smart Africa’s Director General Lacina Koné, World Bank Vice President Makhtar Diop, Mozilla Chief Innovation Officer Katharina Bochert, AfDB President Dr Akinwumi Adesina and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Regional Director Cynthia Samuel Olonjuwon, among others.

The summit will also host several Heads of State, ministers from across Africa, captains of industry, innovators and thought leaders within the ICT space.

The Government of Kenya will launch Africa’s Digital Economy blueprint during the summit, according to The New Times.

The Summit is expected to attract over 4,000 participants, including Heads of State and Government, First Ladies, UN Broadband Commissioners, Ministers, African Mayors, Public & Private Sector, international organisations, industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, Young innovators, Civil Society and Academia.

The key summit streams for this edition include: The Smart Africa Heads of State Leaders Summit, The Smart Africa Women’s Summit, FinTech and eHealth Forums, the Smart Africa Conference and Exhibition to name a few.