Digital warriors key to growth of firms - experts

The accelerated growth in businesses is being attributed to the young population, a market niche that cannot be ignored, Zumi Njongwe, a marketing director at Nestle East and Southern Africa region, has said.

This is even as e-commerce outgrows the "old way of running things". Ms Njongwe said more markets are going digital and organisations ought to worry about their long-term plans as this will impact on profits, with 300 per cent growth of firms attributed to the youth.

She spoke during an interview on the sidelines of Social Media Week in Nairobi that discussed the role of digital technology on brands, content, consumers, data and enterprise.

"There is need to transform as opportunities are massive," she said.

She cited startups coming up on social media that require lower costs and are run by business people as young as 15 years old. "The barriers have come down," she said.

Though cyber security remains a challenge, it has not stopped innovations, she said. "Organisations should ensure that we drive employability of the youth in IT, business development and digital safety to boost continuity," said Njongwe.

Njongwe however noted that Africa still has a long way to go regarding technologically-driven businesses.