Vice President Lucia Witbooi says Africa must change the way it plans for the future if it wants to bridge the gap between its current realities and its vast potential.

Witbooi also urged the continent to accelerate value addition and push for digital transformation to strengthen interdisciplinary research to power sustainable development.

Witbooi was speaking at a recent University of Namibia Faculty of Commerce, Management and Law inaugural Africa's Future Conference in Windhoek.

The conference brought scholars, policymakers and practitioners under one roof to examine the future of business, governance and law on the continent.

The Vice President says Africa is at a critical point in determining its future, amid global instability, economic pressures and governance challenges.

"In order for us to bridge the gap between our current situation and our future, we must change how we plan our future; we must change how we plan and how we operate moving forward."

The Minister of Justice and Labour Relations Wise Immanuel says Africa's rapidly changing digital landscape requires laws, institutions and workplaces to adapt to new realities.

"Crime in our contemporary society has entered the digital space. It's important for us to remind ourselves that digital evidence is now increasingly on our phones, in our computers and on our servers."

Unam's acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Alfons Mosimane says the gathering provided a platform for sharing knowledge, strengthening partnerships and turning research into practical solutions.

"This conference is thus expected to provide a platform for important networking and collaboration opportunities, especially at interdisciplinary levels. This is a profound moment for us at the University of Namibia."

The conference is attended by participants and speakers from Nigeria, South Africa, Germany, Spain, Zimbabwe and Brazil.