2015 Tutu Fellow Landry Signé has authored another book, this one titled Africa's Fourth Industrial Revolution. The fourth industrial revolution - or 4IR - is characterized by an incorporatation of technologies like artificial intelligence, gene editing, advanced robotics, 3D printing and others that blur the lines between the physical, digital, and biological worlds.
It's a field in which he is well-versed. In 2015, Landry was appointed to head Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management and an initiative at the university called the 4IR and Globalization 4.0 Initiative. He is the Professor and Founding Co-Director of the inititiative.
The term 4IR was popularised in 2015 by Klaus Schwab, the World Economic Forum founder and executive chairman, and has since been used in numerous economic, political, and scientific articles in reference to the current era of emerging and merging technologies. The 1st Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production; the 2nd used electric power to create mass production; and, the 3rd used electronics and information technology to automate production.
Klaus himself has reviewed the book, saying: ‘This book will change the way you see Africa’s transformation and potential in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Everyone, especially leaders interested in understanding how the Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing the developing world, and how policy and business leaders can shape it to capture its dividends and mitigate risks, must read this book.’
In the book, Landry looks at trends in Africa that range from increasing adoption of mobile devices to the entrepreneurial use of 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and robotics. He says it speaks to the continent's potential for growth and sustainable development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He examines the meaning, drivers, and implications of the 4IR for Africa. In the work, he sheds light on the potential of the 4IR to change and shape the global South.
Professor, speaker, and author, Signé's education includes political science degrees, as well as postdoctoral studies in political science. Landry is also Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University. He has published multiple books, scholarly works and reports.
You can read more about the book, or purchase it from Cambridge University Press.
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