When Elizabeth Migwalla chose electrical engineering as her major at Nairobi University in the mid‑1970s, “women didn’t do that,” she recalled in a recent interview. After more than three decades in telecommunications, she is now Qualcomm’s top executive in Africa, overseeing the company’s major expansion across the continent. Migwalla earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering in Kenya and an MBA from Bond University in Australia before joining Kenya Posts and Telecommunications, the country’s sole telecom operator at the time. “I have done everything that you can do in engineering—from climbing poles to connecting wires,” she said from her office in South Africa.
In 2002, Migwalla moved to Boeing, where she directed Africa‑wide policy, regulatory affairs, and government relations. She became Qualcomm’s first hire in Africa in 2006 when the American firm opened an office in Johannesburg. She describes Qualcomm as “both an inventor and an enabler.” Her first assignment was creating the “enabling environment for 3G,” the third generation of wireless communication that offered faster data transfer and better voice quality for the rapidly growing mobile networks across the continent. Preparing Africa for new technology required aggressive messaging. “We had to convince governments and operating partners we were going to need a set of spectrum—and that wasn’t easy,” she recalled. At the time, people were “happily doing SMS and making money.”
The latest standard, 5G, “is not just a faster 4G,” but “a developmental enablement for other sectors.” It allows innovative applications in education, health, and transportation. In December, Qualcomm launched the Africa Innovation Platform—a suite of mentorship, education, and training programs designed to support Africa’s emerging technology ecosystem. The company also pledged to support African universities and small‑to‑medium‑size startups. “The programs that make up this platform will ultimately help African companies service markets throughout the continent and realize their global ambitions, further accelerating the growth of Africa’s creation economy,” Migwalla said in the announcement released during the U.S.–Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC.
Migwalla sees growing opportunities across Africa. “This region has been a good adopter, moving from 2G to 3G to 4G and now 5G.” With everyone becoming digitally connected, new approaches are required. “Over 60 % of Africa’s population is under the age of 25—about 800 million people. They are digital natives and they are data‑hungry. Formal employment is not available or probably not desirable. They want to be entrepreneurs.” Qualcomm aims to help create a generation of innovators by adapting the platform it has developed in other regions. One element, the Qualcomm Make‑in‑Africa Startup Mentorship Program, is slated to begin in April. “This is an equity‑free mentoring program, and we want to use it to identify promising early‑stage startups,” she explained. The company will provide connectivity, hardware, business coaching, engineering consultation, and guidance on protecting intellectual property.
Another component of the Innovation Platform is a university‑relations program that bolsters the research and educational capabilities of select African universities by providing research labs and Qualcomm developer kits. “We have kick‑started the work with a university in Cameroon, and we have an association with a Safaricom digital talent initiative in Kenya,” Migwalla said, adding that additional university partners are being identified. The Qualcomm Wireless Academy, which she describes as “the global training arm of our company,” fosters an early‑stage talent pipeline and drives digital, inclusive economic transformation through 5G training and certification. “It’s a combination of all these that we want to bring to Africa,” she said, emphasizing continent‑wide reach. Participants will come from countries like Nigeria and Kenya, where technology startups are numerous, as well as from smaller nations. Gender equity will be a key part of every initiative. “Remember, I’m speaking as one of the few women policy practitioners in this field for over 20 years, who has mentored ladies in many African countries,” she noted.
Migwalla believes innovation is essential to Africa’s development. “Technology must be used to solve real problems, and it’s got to be relevant,” she asserted. “Africa must digitally transform. We cannot be left behind.”
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