• Contact
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
  • Login
The African Business - News About African business
  • Home
  • EconomyNew
    These are the 10 most popular jobs that pay more than $100K, study finds

    These are the 10 most popular jobs that pay more than $100K, study finds

    See what Kenya is using to attract investment from global EV firms

    See what Kenya is using to attract investment from global EV firms

    6 infrastructure projects to drive Angola economic growth

    6 infrastructure projects to drive Angola economic growth

    Trending Tags

  • Business
    Chocolate could get even pricier if Africa’s cocoa crop flops

    Chocolate could get even pricier if Africa’s cocoa crop flops

    Sale of luxury villas starts in new Zimbabwean city for the rich

    Sale of luxury villas starts in new Zimbabwean city for the rich

    Industry Leaders Ignite Innovation at Women Who Build Africa's Tech Assembly in Nairobi

    Industry Leaders Ignite Innovation at Women Who Build Africa’s Tech Assembly in Nairobi

    Virgin Active to expand office space and meeting rooms in gyms

    Virgin Active to expand office space and meeting rooms in gyms

    Dangote, Bua show grit amid global sugar crises

    Dangote, Bua show grit amid global sugar crises

    800 million+ carats of diamonds in Angola reserves

    800 million+ carats of diamonds in Angola reserves

    Hindenburg 2.0? George Soros-backed group plans 'expose' on Indian firms: Report

    Hindenburg 2.0? George Soros-backed group plans ‘expose’ on Indian firms: Report

    Viktor Bout still has his eye on Africa

    Viktor Bout still has his eye on Africa

    SADC countries may benefit from ANGOSAT 2

    SADC countries may benefit from ANGOSAT 2

  • Finance
    Nigeria asks banks to save forex gains amid currency risks

    Nigeria asks banks to save forex gains amid currency risks

    PayPal finally launches Apple Pay support for its credit and debit cards

    PayPal finally launches Apple Pay support for its credit and debit cards

    TLG Capital launches ₦2.25B collateralized credit facility for OnePipe

    TLG Capital launches ₦2.25B collateralized credit facility for OnePipe

    Silicon Valley Bank: Global bank stocks slump despite Biden reassurances

    Silicon Valley Bank: Global bank stocks slump despite Biden reassurances

    [Kenya] Digital credit provider Tala disbursed Sh240 billion in loans in eight years

    [Kenya] Digital credit provider Tala disbursed Sh240 billion in loans in eight years

    Digital banking revolution can help SA banks regain their customers’ love, says BCG

    Digital banking revolution can help SA banks regain their customers’ love, says BCG

    Nigeria launches payments card program to rival Visa and Mastercard

    Nigeria launches payments card program to rival Visa and Mastercard

    Mastercard and ZoodPay join forces to launch the first virtual installment card across EEMEA

    Mastercard and ZoodPay join forces to launch the first virtual installment card across EEMEA

    MoneyGram joins forces with BOTIM to launch international money transfer to over 200 countries

    MoneyGram joins forces with BOTIM to launch international money transfer to over 200 countries

  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Green Economy
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • EconomyNew
    These are the 10 most popular jobs that pay more than $100K, study finds

    These are the 10 most popular jobs that pay more than $100K, study finds

    See what Kenya is using to attract investment from global EV firms

    See what Kenya is using to attract investment from global EV firms

    6 infrastructure projects to drive Angola economic growth

    6 infrastructure projects to drive Angola economic growth

    Trending Tags

  • Business
    Chocolate could get even pricier if Africa’s cocoa crop flops

    Chocolate could get even pricier if Africa’s cocoa crop flops

    Sale of luxury villas starts in new Zimbabwean city for the rich

    Sale of luxury villas starts in new Zimbabwean city for the rich

    Industry Leaders Ignite Innovation at Women Who Build Africa's Tech Assembly in Nairobi

    Industry Leaders Ignite Innovation at Women Who Build Africa’s Tech Assembly in Nairobi

    Virgin Active to expand office space and meeting rooms in gyms

    Virgin Active to expand office space and meeting rooms in gyms

    Dangote, Bua show grit amid global sugar crises

    Dangote, Bua show grit amid global sugar crises

    800 million+ carats of diamonds in Angola reserves

    800 million+ carats of diamonds in Angola reserves

    Hindenburg 2.0? George Soros-backed group plans 'expose' on Indian firms: Report

    Hindenburg 2.0? George Soros-backed group plans ‘expose’ on Indian firms: Report

    Viktor Bout still has his eye on Africa

    Viktor Bout still has his eye on Africa

    SADC countries may benefit from ANGOSAT 2

    SADC countries may benefit from ANGOSAT 2

  • Finance
    Nigeria asks banks to save forex gains amid currency risks

    Nigeria asks banks to save forex gains amid currency risks

    PayPal finally launches Apple Pay support for its credit and debit cards

    PayPal finally launches Apple Pay support for its credit and debit cards

    TLG Capital launches ₦2.25B collateralized credit facility for OnePipe

    TLG Capital launches ₦2.25B collateralized credit facility for OnePipe

    Silicon Valley Bank: Global bank stocks slump despite Biden reassurances

    Silicon Valley Bank: Global bank stocks slump despite Biden reassurances

    [Kenya] Digital credit provider Tala disbursed Sh240 billion in loans in eight years

    [Kenya] Digital credit provider Tala disbursed Sh240 billion in loans in eight years

    Digital banking revolution can help SA banks regain their customers’ love, says BCG

    Digital banking revolution can help SA banks regain their customers’ love, says BCG

    Nigeria launches payments card program to rival Visa and Mastercard

    Nigeria launches payments card program to rival Visa and Mastercard

    Mastercard and ZoodPay join forces to launch the first virtual installment card across EEMEA

    Mastercard and ZoodPay join forces to launch the first virtual installment card across EEMEA

    MoneyGram joins forces with BOTIM to launch international money transfer to over 200 countries

    MoneyGram joins forces with BOTIM to launch international money transfer to over 200 countries

  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Green Economy
No Result
View All Result
The African Business - News About African business
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Hardeep Sound: Beyond recovery: Tech’s role in building a fit-for-purpose East African economy

TAB by TAB
28/06/2022
in Opinion
0
Hardeep Sound: Beyond recovery: Tech’s role in building a fit-for-purpose East African economy
0
SHARES
5
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Hardeep Sound: Beyond recovery: Tech’s role in building a fit-for-purpose East African economy

Following the easing of lockdown restrictions in East Africa, regional economies have worked hard at making up lost ground and repairing the economic damage wrought by the pandemic. The past year has been marked by a concerted effort at recovery.

Related posts

South Africa is playing Russian roulette with its economy

South Africa is playing Russian roulette with its economy

02/08/2023
2
Keep your fingers crossed that he’s The One

Keep your fingers crossed that he’s The One

24/06/2023
0

However, as East Africa’s economic engine kicks back into gear, the vital task of looking beyond immediate recovery toward longer-term economic growth and prosperity takes centre stage.

Today, the urgent question is: what investments into new tools, technologies and policies can be made now to build a stronger and more equitable regional economy in the decade ahead?

I would argue that the region could benefit most from investments into youth skills development, adoption of cloud technologies to unlock market expansion opportunities, and focused attention on the agricultural sector, which is critical to both employment and food security across East Africa.

Activating the youth skills pool

Africa’s abundant and growing youth population has been widely discussed as an opportunity for the continent to drive the world’s economic engine in the decades ahead. With populations in much of the developed world expected to decline during the 21st century, Africa’s surplus of youthful talent could play a vital role in preventing a skills shortage and ensuring ongoing economic growth.

However, much work needs to be done, and with urgency. A recent survey of tertiary education institutions in East Africa found that only 58% agreed that digitalisation is supported financially at their institution. Only 53% of respondents from Kenya – and only 17% in Ethiopia – indicated that their students often or always have access to a computer.

The growth of the digital economy and the automation of mundane tasks through technological innovation means low-skill clerical work is increasingly being done by machines and algorithms. For our region’s youth to have opportunities for successful careers that can help grow local economies, more emphasis needs to be placed on digital skills development that equips youth for high-value tasks.

Initiatives such as SAP Africa Code Week, which draws in millions of youths every year in a continent-wide effort at inspiring a love for digital technologies and coding, play an important role at the grassroots level. Vitally, Africa Code Week’s Train-the-Trainer program also equips teachers with valuable skills that can be transferred to youth throughout the academic year.

Graduate employment and skills development initiatives such as the Young Professionals Program helps to close the gap between academic knowledge and business-ready skills. This serves the dual purpose of providing career development and employment opportunities for youth and ensuring a steady supply of fit-for-purpose skills to public and private sector organisations.

Climate change raises stakes in food security

Agriculture remains one of the continent’s most important economic sectors, accounting for 60% of employment and 23% of gross domestic product in sub-Saharan Africa.

Data indicates a large reserve of untapped potential in the African agricultural sector. McKinsey estimates the continent could increase cereal and grain production three-fold to add 20% to global grain and cereal supplies with several key interventions. These include yield improvements through better use of fertilisers, weather data and technology, as well as land expansion and post-harvest yield loss reduction.

Investing in appropriate tools, technologies and training could unlock vast economic growth for both the millions of smallholder farmers and their dependent communities as well as local economies.

Such support should be provided with urgency considering the growing impact of climate change on our continent. Recent data indicates that nearly 20 million people in East Africa face severe food insecurity, a situation that will only be exacerbated as the changing climate unleashes adverse weather conditions including floods, droughts, more severe seasons, and wildcard events such as the recent locust swarms that have decimated farming activity across large parts of the region.

Tools such as SAP Rural Sourcing Management can play a vital role in empowering smallholder farmers with better data and knowledge while unlocking greater market opportunities.

Rural Sourcing Management is a cloud-based supply chain management tool that connects smallholder farmers to the agricultural value chain and has been used to significant effect in the region, including in deployments to support the Africa Cashew Initiative and the Uganda Coffee Farmers Alliance.

Leapfrogging legacy underdevelopment

Most of Africa lacks legacy infrastructure development in technology and connectivity, with key technologies from the previous wave of innovation, such as fixed broadband, having largely missed the continent.

While this has stunted growth and development in some cases, it has also created an opportunity now for public and private sector organisations to build fit-for-purpose infrastructure instead of having to repurpose outdated technologies.

As the African Union notes in its Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa, the current moment offers a ‘leapfrogging opportunity’ where the continent can adopt modern digital technologies faster and without hindrance.

Such efforts must include a focus on cloud technologies, as these scale more easily as enterprises grow and can more readily enable expansion into new territories or market segments.

The role of the continent’s specialist tech implementation companies cannot be overstated: as businesses increasingly look to unlock the benefits of the cloud, the implementers serve as partners and guides, helping organisations adopt new tools and processes without undue disruption to their operations.

Initiatives such as RISE with SAP further ease adoption by providing organisations with a tested model for deploying cloud technologies as well as best-practice playbooks that eliminate the trial and error associated with large-scale business transformation efforts.

Hardeep Sound: Beyond recovery: Tech’s role in building a fit-for-purpose East African economy

Source: African Business Communities, Hardeep Sound is the Regional Sales Director East Africa at SAP
Previous Post

Angola first gold refinery to produce up to 50 kilograms per day

Next Post

MIGA issues $98.3m guarantee to boost sustainable refinancing of solar power plants in Egypt

Next Post
MIGA issues $98.3m guarantee to boost sustainable refinancing of solar power plants in Egypt

MIGA issues $98.3m guarantee to boost sustainable refinancing of solar power plants in Egypt

RECOMMENDED NEWS

Angola in business enabling environment ranking for doing business

Angola in business enabling environment ranking for doing business

7 months ago
22
Namibia: $5.5m for earth dams to address flooding in the north

Namibia: $5.5m for earth dams to address flooding in the north

8 months ago
3
Congo: Kintélé hosts COMIFAC’s meetings, in preparation for the 2022 COPs

Congo: Kintélé hosts COMIFAC’s meetings, in preparation for the 2022 COPs

1 year ago
1
Eni and Sonatrach partner to increase gas supplies from Algeria through Transmed

Eni and Sonatrach partner to increase gas supplies from Algeria through Transmed

1 year ago
3

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

  • Business
  • Economy
  • Finance
  • Green Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized

Ads

Categories

  • Business
  • Economy
  • Finance
  • Green Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized
The African Business - News About African business

We bring you the best Premium news about African Business.

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

  • These are the 10 most popular jobs that pay more than $100K, study finds
  • Chocolate could get even pricier if Africa’s cocoa crop flops
  • Sale of luxury villas starts in new Zimbabwean city for the rich

Category

  • Business
  • Economy
  • Finance
  • Green Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized

Legal Information

Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy
Complaints Book

  • Contact

© 2021 The African Business

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Finance
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Green Economy

© 2021 The African Business

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In