The African Development Bank organized a knowledge sharing event of chief information officers (CIOs) from international financial institutions (IFIs) in Cape Town, 23-26 September.

The participants are part of a community of practice known as the IFI CIOs' club that meets annually. Members are from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Stability Mechanism, the European Investment Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Nordic Investment Bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the United Nations International Computing Center, and the Gartner and Sustainable Infrastructure Foundation.

The CIOs reviewed global trends in tech, including big data and analytics, cloud initiatives and legal implications, data protection, retention, immunities and privileges. Other trends reviewed included enterprise resource planning (ERP) modernization and innovations as well as outsourcing, offshoring, and managed services.

They also looked at IFIs' benchmarking results and collaboration including joint negotiations and purchasing powers, technical collaborations and information sharing.

"The IFI CIOs' club is a platform where IFIs share valuable experiences and very practical solutions to the common challenges we face on digitalization, and we're grateful to the regional IT manager, Bahati Sanga and his team for organizing this one," said Roger Adom, the African Development Bank's director of IT.

The convention also provided participants with an opportunity to share their experiences and have peer-to-peer learning sessions on cybersecurity, digital transformation, business process management, adoption and change management, measuring and presenting IT benefits and results to senior management and board.

Mr. Denis Robitaille, the Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the World Bank's information and technology solution concluded the convention saying, "We had a very good time, learning and inspiring each other. I am sure you will all agree that we ought to continue strengthening our collaboration. We share a similar mission and genuine partnership in what the world needs more of".

The role that IT practitioners play in the fourth industrial revolution is increasingly becoming important to daily work. These events are key to peer group engagement and learning, and to continue sharpening CIOs' skills. Looking forward, the knowledge sharing conventions not only provide an opportunity to learn, but also to network with others, which helps to strengthen the CIOs' community of practice.