Beyond the Headlines: Seidou Ndolumingo on Shaping Angola's Tech Future
A Conversation with Portal TI's Seidou Ndolumingo
In Angola's rapidly evolving tech landscape, few voices are as pivotal as Seidou Ndolumingo, the General Manager of Portal TI. This week, Africa Tech Talks sits down with Mr. Ndolumingo for an insightful conversation that goes beyond the surface-level headlines. We get into the vision behind Angola's leading technology news platform, explore the strategic ambitions of initiatives like the 'Angola Digital Fórum', and uncover the crucial role Portal TI plays in navigating the complexities of digital transformation and cybersecurity within the nation. Get ready to gain a deeper understanding of the forces shaping Angola's digital future in this exclusive interview.
🎤Africa Tech talks: Given your role as General Manager of Portal TI, what was the core vision behind establishing this technology news platform in Angola, and how has that vision evolved in response to the rapidly changing digital landscape?
🗣️Seidou Ndolumingo: The IT Portal (PTI) was born out of the need for a space to publish end-of-course academic projects, because at the time I graduated (high school and college), we developed many good projects, which in my view needed to be publicized because many of them solved real problems in communities and companies. But, one month before the official launch, I realized that we could expand our content to add value to more people, companies, and the government itself, and so PTI was born. Today it is the reference for news, analysis and trends on technology, telecommunications, and innovation, with a strategic look at Angola and the Portuguese-speaking countries. From the outset, our mission was to inform, connect and boost the digital ecosystem, acting as a bridge between innovation, business, and technological policies.
As the digital landscape evolved, we realized that PTI 's impact should go beyond journalism. Today, in addition to being a news platform, we are an active agent in technological development, promoting events, debates and initiatives that accelerate digital transformation and technological inclusion. PTI 's future lies in expanding its reach as a technology think tank, promoting strategic knowledge for companies, startups, and governments.
🎤Africa Tech Talks: The 'Angola Digital Fórum' seems to be a significant initiative co-organized by Portal TI. Looking ahead, what are the key strategic goals for these live events, and how do you envision them further contributing to the advancement of Angola's digital transformation and cybersecurity posture?
🗣️Seidou Ndolumingo: The Angola Digital Forum (ADF) is an annual milestone for the Angolan technology sector. Since its creation (2022), it has become an essential space for building knowledge, strategic networking and driving solutions to the market.
ADF is one of our key initiatives and aims to bring together the main stakeholders in the digital ecosystem - from entrepreneurs and IT professionals to public sector representatives and investors, to discuss trends, challenges, and opportunities.
Our main strategic objectives include creating an environment conducive to business and investment in the technology sector, fostering technological solutions to serve various sectors of the Angolan economy, from agriculture, finance to Oil & Gas, developing talent, promoting partnerships and networking.
We believe that ADF will increasingly become a key pillar in building a more solid and secure digital ecosystem in the country.
🎤Africa Tech Talks: Your emphasis on the continuous nature of digitalization for both public and private institutions in Angola is notable. What are some of the biggest hurdles you've observed in this process, and what role does Portal TI aim to play in overcoming these challenges and fostering greater technological inclusion and digital literacy?
🗣️Seidou Ndolumingo: Digitalization is an ongoing process that faces structural and cultural challenges.
Among the main obstacles, I would highlight:
Limited infrastructure: internet access is still not universal and there are shortages in digital infrastructure.
Low digital literacy: many people and companies still don't have enough knowledge about emerging technologies.
Cyber security: increased connectivity brings new risks, and many organizations still don't have effective protection strategies.
Resistance to change: some companies and institutions are still hesitant to adopt new technologies for fear of disruption or high costs.
PTI acts as a facilitator by providing qualified information, promoting debates, and encouraging the adoption of technologies through educational content, events, and strategic partnerships. We believe that information is the basis for digital inclusion and so we continually invest in initiatives that accelerate this process.
🎤Africa Tech Talks: Beyond news reporting, Portal TI is actively engaging its audience through various online platforms, including a significant presence on YouTube. What is the strategy behind this multi-platform approach, and how do you measure the impact of Portal TI in shaping the conversation around technology in Angola?
🗣️Seidou Ndolumingo: Our strategy is based on diversifying channels to reach different audience profiles. In addition to the website and social networks, we have a strong presence on YouTube (@portaldeti, where we explore more interactive content, such as interviews, analysis, and coverage of technology events.
The main objectives of this approach include:
Expanded reach: different platforms allow us to reach both professionals in the field and the public interested in technology.
Interaction with the audience: we create spaces for debates and the exchange of ideas, promoting an active community.
Digital education: through videos and webinars, we can explain complex topics in an accessible way.
We measure our impact with the number of subscribers (website) but also based on metrics such as number of views, engagement, growth in followers and impact on discussions in the sector. In addition, we monitor the repercussions of our content in the corporate and government environment to understand how we are influencing digital policies and strategies in the country.
🎤Africa Tech Talks: Considering your potential involvement in academia alongside your leadership at Portal TI, how do these two roles intersect and inform your perspective on the development and application of technology in Angola? What kind of synergies do you see between the media/industry and the educational sector in driving technological progress?
🗣️Seidou Ndolumingo: My activities in academia and at PTI converge in a common purpose: to accelerate technological development and prepare professionals for the challenges of the digital future in Angola.
Teaching and communication are two sides of the same coin - while at university I transmit technical and critical knowledge, at PTI I transform this knowledge into practical impact for the market and society.
Intersection between academia and industry
Technology education needs to be aligned with market demands, and this connection is still a major challenge in Angola. There is often a disconnect between what is taught in universities and the skills required by companies. My role at PTI allows me to:
Bring market insights into the classroom
Integrating technological trends, real-life case studies and business challenges into academic programs.
Prepare students for the professional world
With methodologies that go beyond theory, including practical projects, business simulations and direct contact with industry professionals.
Promote innovation and applied research
By encouraging academic theses and projects to result in viable solutions to problems in the productive sector.
Synergies between Media, Industry and Education
Technology evolves rapidly and requires a collaborative approach between universities, companies and specialized media. The synergies I see are:
Scientific and technological dissemination - PTI acts as a link between academic research and society, making discoveries and innovations more accessible.
Fostering technological entrepreneurship - Connecting students and researchers with startups and investors can turn academic knowledge into real solutions for the market.
Training and continuous updating - Events, hackathons and masterclasses help to reduce the skills gap and ensure that professionals are prepared for new trends.
Influence on public policy - Collaboration between academia, the productive sector and the media can drive government guidelines and incentives for digitalization and innovation.
I see academia as a laboratory for talent and innovation, and PTI as an accelerator of this knowledge into the real world. The success of Angola's digital transformation will depend on our ability to connect these two universes and create a more integrated, productive, and visionary ecosystem.
Want to know more about Seidou or Portal TI? Follow links below