Presented by Samuel AJAVON

GENERALITY Coconuts are quite edifying in their shape. In fact, once the upper layers are withdrawn

with more or less difficulty, one can finally profit from the fruit of the combat. Internet isa bit the same, once you have managed to tame it, it can deliver all its wonders. One of them is what is now called "the Internet of Things". The internet of objects is the set of services around physical hardware connected to the web. Why Africa should beinterested in the Internet of objects at a time when the supply of water and electricity are still at least problematic. According to Cisco, Africa has 500 billion good reasons to look into the issue in the next 10 years. Many possibilities are now offered by the Internet of objects, some of which will allow the continent to accelerate its socio-economicdevelopment. For example, it would be inadequate to confront poachers with connectedwatches such as smartwatch but with connected localization devices implemented on rare species, it would be easier to combat large-scale poaching. With drones the foci of poachers would be spotted before they even realized it. According to the latest DHL and Cisco report on Internet Object Trends (IoT), the global market is estimated at $ 1.9 billion in terms of opportunities. The report estimates that 50 billion devices will beconnected to the Internet by 2020 against 15 billion today. The whole for a value of $ 8 trillion. A market, on which African countries could position themselves as actors.

GENERALITY Africa is today at the heart of conflicts of interest, be they

economic, geopolitical or even technological. The Internet of objects as an emerging trend could become a niche among many others such as agriculture or renewableenergies on which Africa will rely in order to gain power over the international trade balance. In sub-Saharan Africa, the market is relatively untouched, and the costs of producing the same product or service are often 10 times lower than those in OECD countries. African entrepreneurs should look into the issue and create projects along theselines in the four corners of the continent. The applications conceivable within the framework of the internet of the objects are literally infinite. Indeed, it is enough of a zest of creativity to imagine new solutions.

In Africa, only MTN (South Africa) has a platform dedicated to the internet of objects. The ebullition around the internet of objects is such that American bands like Microsoft and Google have decided to create programs of developers entirely devoted to thismovement. With connected microprocessors it is now possible to monitor the heart rate of patients in order to detect hypertension problems. In the UK, drones are used as medical support to cover large distances in a short time and provide first aid to the wounded. In the African context, where there are sometimes 2 doctors per 10 000 inhabitants according to WHO, compared with 32 in 10 000 in Europe, this solution could be an opportunity to be explored. In Spain, travel agencies use drones to produceunpublished images of Barcelona and thus promote local tourism. In Gabon, the Internet of objects has proved itself during the construction of infrastructures and made itpossible to carry out a mapping. Indeed, the company Perenco used drones in Gabon to map the oil zones. Drones are used everywhere else to do topographic measurements and to assess the risks during the construction of infrastructures. Few African companies are in this segment, which creates dependency on foreign service providers and therefore a problem of state sovereignty. McKinsey estimates that applications of the Internet of objects will have an impact on the global economy of the order of $ 3.9 billion to $ 11 billion a year by 2025. At its peak, this influence would represent 11% of the global economy . Africa must take advantage of this new market, instead of positioning itself as a consumer; with technology no longer a constraint, especially in the digital field.

TO COME UP The ecosystem of technological enterprises

in Africa is nevertheless dominated by international actors. According to the expert, this configuration of the sectorshould not change soon. Africantechnology startups have not yet acquiredsufficient maturity to take over. Many of them fail to achieve profitability that willallow them to focus on research and development to grow. Supported by strongforeign financing and advancedtechnologies, non-African service providers will continue to dominate the market. "This configuration should persist a few yearsbefore the mixed local / foreign companiesare balanced," says Kalebaila. In fact, theselocal operators are better able to understand the needs of the populations. An advantage that will only benefit themonce they become mature and competitiveenough. But for now, the expert notes that a new trend is gaining ground:

large operators, such as IBM or Microsoft, are beginning to locatetheir services, but also to allythemselves with local operators to develop solutions adapted to the needs of Africans.Faced with thesechanges, Africa will face new challenges, including security. "Fortunately", this is a problem for the whole world. In Africa, it is becomingurgent for all countries to develop the appropriate regulatory frameworks. The expertise will come from "highlyspecialized" players who position themselves in this promising market. In other words, the race has juststarted ...

CASE OF BENIN

This observation calls for new approaches, capable of rapidlyadvancing the management and governance of these territories. The internet of objects is one of them.

The Internet of Things describes the ability of "objects" to transfer data between themwithout human interaction. An "object" can bea guard equipped with a chip transmitting itsposition during a patrol, an animal carrying an implant to follow its migration, a sound sensordetecting the shots and transmitting an alert, a drone performing automatically daily trips to count animals and any other natural or man-made element that can share the data it collectsvia a network.The Internet of the objects is not a new concept but the opportunities it offershave recently exploded under the effect of the banalisation of wireless technologies, miniature electromechanical systems, and accessibility to the Internet. Theseopportunities are real and offer concreteopportunities to improve the management of nature reserves.

YOUNG LION IN PENDJARI PARC

Reality or science fiction?

PENDJARI PARC

lIONS

In PENDJARI PARC

Masai Mara lions Masai Mara lions, equipped with collars, inform the breeders by

sms when they approach too close to their flocks, giving themtime to return the cattle. Amazonian trees carrying a flea in the trunk, call the forest protection service when they are cut and therefore move. Rhinoceros carry a collar that shows not onlytheir location, but also their heart rate, which makes it possible to detect, at a distance and in real time, any change in case of poaching.These are some examples of what technology is alreadydoing to optimize species protection. But it remains to organizeall this, to deploy on a large scale solutions usable by all, to coordinate the isolated experiments so that the proposedtechniques become simple, economic, like most applications of our smartphones today. In short, moving from the Internet of objects to that of conservation.

THREAT The internet of thing is, however, a serious threat in terms of cyber security. Indeed most

of the connected devices are designed to be easily deployed and accessible by users whoare certainly technophiles but little informed about the risks involved. Locks connectedto mobile applications are already deployed to simplify access to the home. However, no precision is given on the risks involved if a malicious hacker attacks the system and enters a private residence. Lightweight connected equipment manufacturers aim to makethe figure with economies of scale. In this process, they minimize research and development costs. To extrapolate once the connection has been established betweendevice "A" and "Internet", the hardware is placed on the market. The same passwords and usernames are replicated to the string, therefore at one point they end up being known to hackers. The issue of security and vulnerability becomes secondary where it should be a priority.Connected cameras are so insecure in the world that there is a search engine thatallows millions of cameras connected in private as well as public organizations to beblinked. Websites already share images in real time that come from cameras of privatehomes with impunity. UAVs, even if they can reduce the cost of mapping, can also bemisused by malicious people to prepare dangerous operations or even fly over sensitive airspace without prior authorization. This gap also offers an opportunity for ICT entrepreneurs, who could focus on the development of security processes. It is thereforeimperative for African countries to consider legislation on the Internet of objects to protect their population from the excesses that this phenomenon can introduce, even if Africa is not yet a major consumer.

Africa must not become a sponge with technological trends. Big Data and the Internet of Things are certainly notable advances that can contribute to the development of the continent, but both, without

cybersecurity measures, will only expose to growing threats to both data and the lives of users. Innovation must adapt to the context in which it wishes to flourish. Africa is a land reddened by the climate and the

blood of children overexploited in the mines of Coltan in the Congo in the name of technological progressin foreign countries, the Internet of the objects could change the situation and make Africa to the

Africans.All the Internet of the objects appears like a track among many others to fill the technological but also economic gap between Africa and the so-called developed countries. Over the years, African countries have begun to adopt the innovative technologies and movements deployed in the four corners of the world

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