The leading digital disrupters in Africa don’t think of African consumers as people at the bottom of the pyramid — they think of solutions for people with no infrastructure, says Bronwen Auret, head of digital operations at Metropolitan Republic, in an ITWeb report.

Auret will be speaking Oct. 15 about how technology has changed consumer behavior in Africa and how digital opportunities and social media have impacted the continent at the upcoming ITWeb Social Business Summit 2015.

An advertising agency based in Johannesburg, Metropolitan Republic has offices in Kampala.

Businesses that succeed in Africa are problem solvers, Auret said. That’s one of the things the leading digital disrupters in Africa have in common.

“The perception is that Africa is behind global brands, yet there are many great inventors and innovations at our doorstep,” Auret told ITWeb. “A combination of technology and financial inclusion has made anything possible for people on this continent. With Facebook and Google trying to solve data access, we are bound to see some leapfrog innovation.”

The telecommunications sector is among those that are “continuously innovating in Africa”, she said, and telcoms will continue to push boundaries in digital offerings on the continent.

Jumo, an African mobile money market that enables micro-lending based on cellphone usage, is an example of a digital disrupter, Auret said. “With products like mobile money, anything is possible as it allows for financial inclusion and development of economies across the continent.”