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, Managing Director: Southern Africa at 麻豆原创, said South African organisations are facing a turning point. 鈥淭he convergence of data, cloud, and AI technologies presents an extraordinary opportunity to rethink how we operate, innovate, and grow. By combining new thinking with AI-enabled skills the latest technologies, companies across the region can unlock a new era of accelerated growth and innovation.鈥�

Tech skills development has received renewed attention in recent times as companies rush to attract skilled workers that can unlock the potential of AI and other technologies in their businesses. found that nine in ten African organisations are already experiencing negative impacts from a lack of AI skills, with consequences ranging from failed innovation initiatives and delayed implementations to an inability to take on new work. 鈥淭his digital shift is empowering organisations to make faster, data-driven decisions, close the skills gap, and build more resilient, future-ready enterprises. We must equip our workforce with the right skills to fully harness the potential of these emerging technologies鈥� added , 麻豆原创 Solution Architect at Nedbank.

Keynote speaker , Chancellor of the University of the Free State and Chairperson of several large South African companies, believes South Africa鈥檚 success in the digital age depends on the country鈥檚 ability to lead with clarity and act with urgency. 鈥淚nnovation is a necessity for national competitiveness. Collectively, we must ensure we鈥檙e not just adopting global technologies but adapting them to our unique context to create lasting value for our businesses, our people, and our economy.鈥�

The comments were made at 麻豆原创 Business Suite Innovation Day, part of a global event series that provide an exclusive introduction to 麻豆原创鈥檚 latest cloud applications and data-driven AI innovations, including 麻豆原创 Business Data Cloud and 麻豆原创 Business AI. The event brought together customers, partners and innovators for wide-ranging discussions around best practices, learnings and insights for how AI can be embedded across businesses, powered by curated, contextual, and connected data.

, Chief Revenue Officer for 麻豆原创 Business Data Cloud & 麻豆原创 Business AI, EMEA at 麻豆原创, said new advances in how organisations collect, manage and empower data is unlocking vast opportunities for AI-enabled growth and innovation. 鈥淏y breaking down data silos and allowing businesses to govern and connect all their data, 听our new AI and data solutions provide real-time, context-rich insights to businesses where they need it most. With AI orchestration and seamless integration with platforms like Databricks, organisations can boost productivity, modernise their data landscape, and accelerate the development of intelligent applications that deliver measurable impact.鈥�

According to , Group IT Manager: Solution Delivery & PMO (product management office) at ABF Sugar, 鈥渕any enterprises are rapidly embracing cloud computing, data analytics, and AI to reimagine how they operate, innovate, and expand. These technologies assist in unlocking new levels of productivity and efficiency but also allow access to entirely new business models and sustainable practices in the long term.鈥�

Pillay adds that companies globally are increasingly adopting a clean core strategy, which 麻豆原创 sees as a critical enabler for long-term innovation, agility, and cost efficiency. 鈥淭he clean core approach is key to simplifying the enterprise landscape and ensuring companies can rapidly adopt new innovations with minimal disruption. It鈥檚 the foundation that allows AI, cloud and data solutions to deliver full value across every line of business.鈥�

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, Managing Director: Emerging Africa at 麻豆原创, said: 鈥淥rganisations across the region are leveraging the latest technologies to build a trusted foundation for AI and amplify their insights and processes to transform the way they work. From harnessing collaborative AI agents to solve complex problems and accelerate decision-making, to seamlessly connecting their entire business value chain, West Africa鈥檚 business community is gearing up to unleash their full potential powered by cloud, data and AI.鈥�

The comments were made at 麻豆原创 Business Suite Innovation Day on September 17th, a special event for 麻豆原创 customers and partners to showcase how and come together to deliver exceptional value as part of the 麻豆原创 Business Suite.

Experts from across the 麻豆原创 ecosystem provided behind-the-scenes insights into the power of business AI and cloud, and how these new innovations combine powerful cloud applications with the most contextual and reliable data to enable collaborative AI agents to tackle the most difficult business challenges with confidence.

The event also included presentations by regional business leaders who have successfully leveraged 麻豆原创 technologies to accelerate growth and unlock new capabilities.

, Group Head: 麻豆原创 Centre of Excellence at , shared some insight into how the company leverages cloud technologies to power growth and drive efficiency. Dangote Industries Limited is the largest conglomerate in West Africa and one of the largest on the African continent, employing more than 30 000 people.

鈥淪ucceeding in today鈥檚 fast-paced business landscape requires strong foundations built on the latest technologies. Critical to this is a modernised enterprise resource planning landscape that enables organisations to fully leverage the power of emerging technologies, all built on a clean-core strategy that ensures the business has access to real-time, accurate data for decision-making.鈥�

, Country Managing Director for Nigeria at 麻豆原创, said: 鈥淎frica鈥檚 greatest wealth lies in its people, including our fast-growing youth population. Our ability to cultivate the right mix of skills is critical to our digital transformation ambitions, especially as we rush to leverage the power of AI and cloud in our businesses.

Research conducted by 麻豆原创 found that half of Nigerian businesses expected a 鈥榮ignificant鈥� increase in demand for AI skills this year. The 麻豆原创听听report also found that 93% of Nigerian companies already experience a negative impact on their innovation capabilities due to a lack of access to AI skills. The same report revealed that West Africa was the region most likely to partner with expert third-party providers to fill the AI skills gap in their organisations.

Khota adds: 鈥淭he region stands at the edge of a new era of growth and innovation powered by data, cloud and AI, and supported by a workforce geared for our emerging technologies. To ensure this collective effort succeeds, organisations need access to the right skills. While efforts at developing AI-ready skills are underway, companies should also explore ways to augment their skills base in the short term by partnering with our thriving ecosystem of expert partners and collaborators powering business transformation in the region.

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Technology has seen exponential leaps over the last couple of years, and Pillay points out that 麻豆原创 customers have to negotiate not only the dynamic IT landscape but also the changing needs of their own customer bases. And this can be a challenging proposition.

鈥淲hen you look at our customer base, we play across many industries,鈥� she points out. 鈥淎nd this means they are facing a variety of challenges.鈥�

With many 麻豆原创 customers being the driving forces in government and industry, they are particularly affected by the economics of the region.

鈥淭here is a commonality in Africa, especially around the economics of the situation, with the region having seen lower GDP increases,鈥� she points out. 鈥淪o many of our conversations with customers are around the pressure that鈥檚 putting on their organisations.鈥�

While not everyone is affected by these slowdowns, it is definitely a message that has become more common. And South African customers have their own set of challenges as well.

鈥淲hat is important to note is how we support them in whatever circumstances they find themselves,鈥� Pillay says.

鈥淯nder pressure, many customers are looking to be more prudent in their spending. They are looking to defensive spending, where they can address the cost optimisation they need to, while balancing the flexibility and agility that will keep them from becoming stagnant and irrelevant in the market.

鈥淭o help them address these challenges, 麻豆原创 puts forward the case for value, where its solutions can support customers, where our solutions can support them in running efficiently, while unlocking ways to optimise their systems and address new revenue streams,鈥� Pillay explains.

鈥淲e need to be in the level of discussion with customers that requires some kind of partnership. We don鈥檛 want to talk about a list of our products, but prioritise and address customer pain points and address.

鈥淚t needs to go beyond a technology discussion into a business enablement discussion.鈥�

Indeed, Pillay explains that the real transformation at 麻豆原创 has been in moving from being a technology provider to a trusted business adviser.

鈥淲e need to be entering the conversation much earlier, because technology cannot be an afterthought when you are talking and transformation.鈥�

At the same time, it鈥檚 important to listen carefully to customer requirements to ensure any transformation is relevant and respectful, she adds.

Newer technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing are a key part of any IT conversation these days, and 麻豆原创 has fully embraced these within its business applications.

A recent report found that AI could revolutionise Africa鈥檚 economy and听听to the continent鈥檚 economy by the end of this decade.

听found widespread challenges with access to AI and other tech skills throughout East, West and Southern Africa. According to 麻豆原创鈥檚 鈥�Africa鈥檚 AI Skills Readiness Revealed鈥� report, six in ten African organisations view AI skills as 鈥榚xtremely important鈥� to their success.

However, all companies surveyed expected to experience some AI-related skills gap in 2025, with nine in ten saying a lack of AI skills is already hurting their organisations through failed innovation initiatives, delays in implementations, and an inability to take on new work.

鈥淲e are seeing a fundamentally new technology environment, with capabilities that businesses didn鈥檛 have even five years ago,鈥� Pillay says. 鈥淚 avoid buzzwords, but some of the things we see today would have been unfathomable even five or 10 years ago.

鈥淚 like to get into the detail of how these capabilities can help our customers.鈥�

However, she cautions that the adoption of new technologies needs to be from a strong foundation.

鈥淵ou cannot be grasping at aspirational technologies if the backbone isn鈥檛 strong. So platforming is a discussion we need to have, in order to create agility for today鈥檚 needs and also the needs of tomorrow.鈥�

Pillay adds that many of 麻豆原创鈥檚 customers form the bedrock of South Africa鈥檚 economy. 鈥溌槎乖� might not be the biggest company in South Africa, but we are the backbone of many of the country鈥檚 largest organisations.

鈥淭his is an extreme privilege, but also a huge responsibility.

鈥淚t鈥檚 why I think it is super important that we engage customers as strategic partners; so we are helping them to align their strategies so we can grow the South African economy, retain employment and support their success.鈥�

Partnering is a key pillar of 麻豆原创鈥檚 strategy, Pillay adds, but the organisation is first and foremost customer-centric.

鈥淲e always keep the customer at the centre of what we do. We ensure that our executives are getting out their into the customer base, addressing their concerns and ensuring they have a voice.鈥�

The 麻豆原创 partner base continues to be a focus, and 麻豆原创 continues to grow and mature the partnering ecosystem. 鈥淥ne of the pillars of 麻豆原创鈥檚 global strategy is to support the partner base. So we have global strategies to help and guide partners in implementing end-to-end offerings to customers.鈥�

Internally at 麻豆原创, this has required some adjustments too.

鈥淲e have gone form on-premises to cloud, and now to business AI,鈥� Pillay points out. 鈥淲e have to be able to talk around this narrative. Bearing in mind we help to run all of these companies, and all of the granular business data, we need to be able to talk about the value of platforming correctly.

鈥淲e have to look at how we strategise, so we are able articulate our solutions and then message the into the business base.鈥�

Partnering with some of the biggest organisations in the South African economy is a challenging 鈥� and humbling 鈥� position to be in, Pillay adds.

鈥淭ogether we own the platforms that all the data runs on. And the next level of generative AI (GenAI) is based on that data.鈥�

Skills development

Companies are increasingly investing in upskilling and reskilling their workforce to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business and technology landscape. 鈥淥ur research found that nearly half (48%) of African organisations consider upskilling their employees a top skills-related challenge this year,鈥� Pillay says.

鈥淎s the pressure to build greater skills depth mounts on companies, vendors such as 麻豆原创 can be invaluable partners, providing insight, expertise and technical capabilities that help drive successful innovation and transformation.鈥�

With challenges and opportunities abounding in the South African context, 麻豆原创 is particularly invested in skills development and job creation.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Educate to Employ programme, in partnership with Unicef, aims to educate youngsters between the ages of 16 and 24 on soft skills and 麻豆原创 skills, to help kickstart their careers.

helps candidates with a university degree to gain work-ready 麻豆原创 skills and gain employment. They also assist them with placements within the partner ecosystem and 麻豆原创 customers.

In addition, social sabbaticals is a programme where 麻豆原创 employess can work with business to help and share their skills, helping them to build their own skills and develop business plans.

Basic education is the final pillar, with bursaries offered to deserving students. This includes a programme specifically focused on young women.

麻豆原创 also ensures that its own staff members are continually upskilled.

On a personal note

Having achieved the top position at 麻豆原创 Southern Africa, Pillay reflects that it鈥檚 not something she thought would happen when she started her career.

鈥淚 have been very luck to take over this role, and grateful doe the support of both 麻豆原创 leadership and the team on the ground.

鈥淚 am home-grown 鈥� 麻豆原创 is the only company I have ever worked for 鈥� so I think many of my colleagues see themselves in my journey. I have been very lucky to have the support of company leaders and colleagues.

鈥淎t the same time, I feel the burden of responsibility to ensure we do the right things for customers and teams in the organisation.

鈥淭here are 280 people and their extended families in South Africa alone that we take care of. That is a good contribution to what is a very challenging employment market at the moment.鈥�

She offers young women who may see themselves in here journey some advice: 鈥淭he main thing is to be true to yourself. Take on as much information as possible and always look for both formal and informal mentors. They will help you to grow your perspective over time. Mentorship is key to your career growth, so look for the people who can help you grow and cherish what they teach you.鈥�

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Modern security teams are consumed with identity and access management, device management, ransomware threats, phishing attacks, awareness training, privacy and compliance.

Due to a pervasive cybersecurity skills shortage, these teams are often stretched thin. In fact, 鈥榗ybersecurity skills鈥� were the most in-demand among African organisations in 麻豆原创鈥檚 latest听听report, with 86% of companies citing demand.

Organisations know they should keep systems up to date. But all too often, updates are postponed in favour of more immediate priorities, leading to potentially costly delays.

Very costly. A Harvard Business School publication notes that the devastating cyberattacks on the UK鈥檚 National Health Service and credit bureau Equifax听.

鈥極utdated鈥� explained

Outdated software 鈥� referring to applications, platforms or operating systems that have not received critical updates or patches despite newer versions being available 鈥� is one of the most persistent and preventable security risks for modern enterprises.

Outdated software also includes software that has reached end-of-life, meaning it is no longer supported by the vendor through security patches and bug fixes. For example, a surprisingly large number of well-known companies听, despite those operating systems no longer being supported by the vendors.

Businesses often run these older versions of software out of habit, or due to perceived cost savings. Others fear the disruption of change and hope to avoid costly downtime and change management. But these savings are superficial 鈥� the cost of a breach will always outweigh the cost of keeping software updated, especially as听.

Reducing risk

Failing to maintain software updates exposes companies to a range of risks, including:

• Known vulnerabilities go unpatched听鈥� Every software product has vulnerabilities, but what matters is how quickly they鈥檙e fixed. Software vendors actively monitor and patch these flaws. However, once support ends, so does the protection. Cybercriminals actively target known exploits in unpatched software. Since some of these vulnerabilities are widely documented, they risk being exploited if left unresolved.
• Incompatibility with modern defences听鈥� Cybersecurity doesn鈥檛 stand still. Encryption methods evolve. Firewalls improve. Detection tools become smarter. Outdated software struggles to integrate with these advancements, weakening your security posture across the board. Companies could be investing in the latest cyber defences, but if their legacy apps can鈥檛 support them, they remain exposed to significant risk.
• Standing defenceless against new threats听鈥� The threat landscape changes daily. Attackers are constantly developing new techniques, from zero-day exploits to advanced phishing campaigns. Unsupported software doesn鈥檛 get the updates needed to recognise or defend against these evolving threats.
• The inevitability of data breaches听鈥� Once attackers exploit a vulnerability, this can lead to a total compromise of the entire landscape. Personal data, financial records, and customer information all become potential targets. And in the modern threat landscape, it鈥檚 not a matter of听if听a company will suffer a data breach, but听when. When a breach occurs, the consequences can be severe: reputational damage, regulatory fines, legal action, operational downtime and financial losses compound the misery. And these aren鈥檛 theoretical risks 鈥� they鈥檙e playing out in boardrooms across the continent.

Staying secure

Keeping the enterprise secure requires a proactive approach that includes a strong focus on maintaining up-to-date software as well as a layered security strategy. Organisations should take note of the following best practices to secure against unnecessary cyber risk:

• Modernise where it matters听鈥� Organisations using end-of-life or unpatched software should transition to supported systems. While upgrades may cause some disruption, the risk of a breach is far greater and harder to control.
• Stay current on patches听鈥� Even supported software can be vulnerable if it鈥檚 not updated. Organisations must ensure their IT teams have a clear process for applying patches and updates in a timely and controlled manner.
• Conduct regular security audits听鈥� It鈥檚 unwise to wait for an incident before identifying a security gap. Regular vulnerability assessments can identify outdated systems, missed patches, and other blind spots in the enterprise environment, giving organisations the opportunity to fix them before they鈥檙e found by someone else.

Technology isn鈥檛 static, and neither are cyber threats. The tools and systems companies rely on must evolve alongside them or they become the weak link in an otherwise strong chain. Outdated software might not grab headlines like a major data breach, but all too often, it鈥檚 what causes one.

If cybersecurity is a board-level concern (and it should be), then software maintenance must be a strategic priority. In a world of rising threats, staying up to date isn鈥檛 just good practice for African enterprises, it鈥檚 a critical defence.

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鈥淭here is a near-universal need for AI-related skills among African companies this year,鈥� says Genevieve Koolen, HR Director at 麻豆原创 Africa. 鈥淎nd since traditional IT skills such as cloud- and cybersecurity-related competencies remain in high demand, companies now face the dual challenge of attracting and retaining traditional tech talent while also building greater AI competencies within their businesses. It is unsurprising then that most African organisations provide career development opportunities for employees with AI specialisations.鈥�

麻豆原创 recently released its 鈥樷�� report, which revealed that all companies surveyed expect the demand for AI skills to increase in 2025. Nearly half said they expect a 鈥榮ignificant鈥� increase.

Koolen says that while there is an urgent need for policymakers and education institutions to fast-track AI skills development initiatives among Africa鈥檚 swelling youth population, companies also face pressure to equip existing workers with future-ready skills.

Impacts of skills shortage widespread

听that AI could contribute $1.5-trillion to Africa鈥檚 economy by 2030, provided the continent can capture 10% of the global AI market. African organisations are alive to the possibilities presented by AI-related innovation, with companies citing perceived value in improved decision-making (64%), marketing capabilities (51%) and innovation (47%) enabled by AI.

However, poor access to AI-ready skills is already causing negative impacts among the same companies, including failed innovation initiatives, delays completing projects, greater pressure on teams, and an inability to take on new client projects.

鈥淥rganisations are rising to this challenge by increasing the frequency of training offered to employees, with 94% saying they offer training at least monthly,鈥� says Koolen.

However, the latest data indicates a drop in the allocated budget for skills development. In a previous survey conducted in 2022, a quarter of organisations said they spend more than 15% of their HR or IT budgets on skills development and training. This year, not a single organisation that formed part of the research spent more than 10%.

Practical steps to more AI-capable workforce

While the full impact of AI and other emerging technologies on Africa鈥檚 workforce remains to be seen, Koolen says there are practical measures companies can implement to ensure they cultivate the correct skills mix.

1 Be prepared

With universal demand for tech and AI-related skills and an ongoing skills scarcity, African organisations must prepare for a shortfall in critical AI-related skills this year.

鈥淭he moment calls for a pragmatic approach that combines longer-term skills development 鈥� including reskilling and upskilling 鈥� with short-term measures that alleviate some of the immediate pressures and creates space for more robust skills development initiatives. Organisations also need to take care to support employees through this uncertain period, for example by using human capital management technologies that help HR teams identify concerns.鈥�

2 Prioritise training

Koolen says it is surprising that budget allocations for training and skills development appear to be shrinking. 鈥淭oo many digital transformation and innovation initiatives fail to deliver the expected business value due to a lack of appropriate skills. In light of the rapid pace of technological advancement, any organisation that fails to invest in skills will likely find they are unprepared and unable to leverage new innovations. In time, this will erode their competitiveness and lead to significant impacts to the bottom line.鈥�

Instead, organisations should place skills development at the core of their business strategies to ensure a steady stream of work-ready talent and invest sufficient budget to guarantee high-quality outcomes for employees and the business.

3 Partner well

While Africa has the fastest-growing youth population of any continent, there are still significant systemic challenges with equipping youth with adequate work-ready skills. 鈥淎frica鈥檚 ability to reap the benefits of AI-related innovation rests on broader public-private sector efforts at cultivating the correct skills mix,鈥� says Koolen. 鈥淧artnering with educational institutions and other industry skills development initiatives can accelerate the rate at which skills become available to companies.鈥�

She adds that technology vendors can also play a valuable role. 鈥淟arge technology companies often have large global workforces and strong employer brands, allowing them to attract top talent. Partnering with tech venters can augment organisations鈥� skills base and provide valuable support to AI-led initiatives.鈥�

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There was a nightmare scenario revealed in 麻豆原创鈥檚 latest听: the technology goalposts have shifted, once again, leaving the continent caught between digital transformation ambitions and the harsh reality of skills shortages that are already undermining business operations.

鈥淎 hundred percent of the African organisations that we surveyed said that they saw an increase in demand for AI skills in 2025, and just around 50% of that said they saw a significant increase in the demand for those AI skills,鈥� explains , interim managing director for Southern Africa at 麻豆原创.

The impact isn鈥檛 theoretical 鈥� it鈥檚 immediate and painful. Nearly 90% of survey responses report that AI skills shortages are already causing 鈥渄elays in implementations, failed innovation initiatives, an inability to take on new work, and loss of clients.鈥�

For South African companies, the situation is particularly worrying 鈥� 98% say lacking AI skills undermines their innovation capabilities, making them more vulnerable to competitive disadvantage.

The agentic age changes everything

But even as organisations scramble to address these shortages, the AI landscape is rapidly shifting beyond the generative AI tools that dominated 2023 and 2024 keynotes, toward 鈥渁gentic AI鈥� 鈥� autonomous systems that can plan, act, and adapt independently.

鈥淐opilot was like version one of AI for enterprises with the generative stuff it鈥檚 moved beyond, so you鈥檒l see everyone talks about agents 鈥� and the secret of agents is that it鈥檚 autonomous,鈥� explains Robin Fisher, head of EMEA growth markets at Salesforce, describing how these systems represent a fundamental departure from reactive AI tools toward proactive, goal-directed agents.

This shift is forcing a complete rethink of what 鈥淎I readiness skills鈥� even are. The traditional focus on coding 鈥� the bread and butter of coding academies across Africa that spawned under the weight of the last future-focused skills wave 鈥� is giving way to something far more nuanced.

Ursula Fear, Salesforce鈥檚 senior talent programme manager, warns that 鈥�39% of all of our core skills, the global workforce core skills, are to be changed by 2030鈥�. She now says we should all be 鈥渓ifelong learners鈥�, dedicating 鈥渁 minimum of about 10 hours a week鈥� to staying relevant.

The skills that matter now extend far beyond 鈥渙nes and zeros鈥� coding. Fisher suggests that future AI readiness includes 鈥渢he ability to maybe even go back to some of those things like psychology or linguistics because it鈥檚 around making agents human鈥� 鈥� skills crucial for ensuring AI agents operate with empathy and effective communication.

The new rules of AI readiness

This evolution is reshaping how major tech companies approach youth empowerment in Africa. Both Salesforce and its upstart Indian competitor Zoho are moving away from partnerships with coding bootcamps toward more holistic AI readiness programmes.

Salesforce has launched rural interventions, including a pilot partnership with Absa in what Fear describes as a 鈥渢ier three town鈥� (she鈥檚 talking about Dundee), where they discovered qualified individuals 鈥� including computer science graduates and marine biologists 鈥� who had returned home due to a lack of urban job opportunities. The goal is building 鈥渄igital hubs in tier three towns鈥� that can scale Salesforce solutions to businesses as small as a local 鈥渕eat producer鈥�.

鈥淲e 100% believe that the only way that we are going to be able to solve this problem is through collaboration,鈥� Fear continues, describing partnerships with workforce development organisations like Collective X that focus on 鈥渨ork-integrated learning 鈥� the application of it鈥� rather than just certifications.

Zoho, meanwhile, is implementing what it calls 鈥渢ransnational localism鈥� 鈥� a philosophy that blends global reach with local engagement. The company is still riding the learn to code rollercoaster with Code Intelligence in Khayelitsha and Bench Bites for 鈥渢rain the trainer programmes,鈥� bringing students to their Cape Town offices and hiring directly from these programmes.

But even the low-cost CRM hero acknowledges the fundamental shift under way. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to not hire any more developers鈥� internally, explains Hyther Nizam, president of Zoho Middle East and Africa, instead aiming to 鈥渞epurpose them to some other things鈥� while equipping existing developers with AI tools like copilots.

Wake-up call for the African dream

For South Africa specifically, these shifts come against a backdrop of sobering economic realities. With youth unemployment at 62%, Andrew Bourne, regional manager for Zoho Southern Africa, stresses the critical need for young South Africans to 鈥渢hink global鈥� because 鈥渨e actually won鈥檛 have enough jobs in South Africa for the unemployed鈥�.

This global perspective is reflected in Zoho鈥檚 pricing strategy, which is basically offering 鈥渇irst world technology at a third world price鈥� with 25% subsidised pricing for the rand, maintained consistently for five years.

Their new听, designed for solopreneurs at R99 a month, aims to build 鈥渄igital skills literacy鈥� among one-person businesses.

The challenge isn鈥檛 just about individual skills development, it鈥檚 about systemic change. Despite 94% of African organisations now offering IT training monthly (up from 74% previously), budget allocation for training has actually decreased from 14% to 7% of IT and HR budgets, with no organisation spending more than 10%.

鈥淲e need to allocate a budget for upskilling our existing workforce,鈥� Pillay insists, warning organisations to 鈥減repare for an AI-related skills gap in 2025鈥� and 鈥渦nderstand the impact that a lack of skills will have on your business, your employees, and your customers.鈥�

听Disproving the replacement theory

Both CRM companies are quick to reject the narrative that AI will simply replace human workers, even though they鈥檙e selling agentic AI.

鈥淎t no point is it creating unemployment,鈥� Fisher argues. 鈥淚n the same way, agents are going to make certain things probably redundant, data capture, data analysis, those jobs will grow, right? Because AI can do the data analysis, but then it鈥檚 going to create new jobs that are more powerful because you have context.鈥�

Nizam says Zoho鈥檚 internal experience suggests a more measured reality: AI provides 鈥�30% to 40%鈥� productivity improvement, not the 鈥�5x to 10x鈥� often promised, partly because 鈥渞eading the AI-generated code is a nightmare.鈥�

The reality is that the stakes couldn鈥檛 be higher 鈥� 60% of African organisations view AI skills as critical to their success, but 100% expect to face skills gaps. The companies getting it right are those recognising that in an agentic AI world, the most valuable skill might not be writing code, but understanding how to make machines work better with humans.听DM

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East African business leaders, technology partners and 麻豆原创 experts met in Nairobi this week to discuss the growing impact of business AI and cloud technologies in the region.

, Managing Director: Emerging Africa at 麻豆原创, said: 鈥淥rganisations throughout East Africa are accelerating their business transformation and innovation efforts by leveraging the latest data and cloud capabilities to unlock the power of business AI in every line of business. With the recent expansion of AI assistant, organisations can now unleash unprecedented efficiency across their systems and processes to drive productivity gains of as much as 30%.鈥�

The comments were made at 麻豆原创 Innovation Day Kenya, part of a global series of events aimed at showcasing how technology can power growth, innovation and sustainability and support organisations as they meet emerging challenges.

The exclusive event also served as an introduction to how and help organisations unlock significant business value as part of the broader . Experts also provided behind-the-scenes insights into the power of business AI and cloud to future-proof companies鈥� enterprise application strategies and leverage data to enhance business insights and improve decision-making.

Research recently conducted by 麻豆原创 found a near-universal demand for AI skills among African organisations. The 麻豆原创听听report noted that nine in ten companies in Africa already experience negative impacts due to a lack of AI skills, including failed innovation initiatives, an inability to take on new work, and loss of clients. Forty-three percent of Kenyan organisations that took part in the study expected a 鈥榮ignificant鈥� increase in demand for AI skills this year.

鈥淭he rapid changes in workplace dynamics are transforming how companies develop, upskill and reskill their workforce to meet the long-term need for AI-related skills,鈥� said Khota. 鈥淚n the short term, organisations should seek ways to augment their skills base, for example by partnering with our rich ecosystem of implementation specialists that power business transformation in the region.鈥�

麻豆原创 Innovation Day Kenya also included presentations by regional business leaders who have successfully leveraged 麻豆原创 technologies to accelerate growth and unlock new capabilities.

Long-standing 麻豆原创 customer provided insight into its latest transformation initiative that is taking its legacy enterprise systems into the cloud and deploying AI across its business processes. Bidco Africa is a leading FMCG manufacturer that produces more than 800 SKU鈥檚 in multiple brands and products at eight factories in East Africa. The company has been using 麻豆原创 ECC since 2010, until a recent decision sparked a migration to .

, Chairman of Bidco Africa, said the shift to cloud underscores his company鈥檚 position as a regional innovation leader. 鈥淲e see incredible potential for AI to transform our business and deliver greater agility, innovation and customer experiences. Our skilled team will also benefit from AI鈥檚 power to enhance product development, allowing us to consolidate our market leadership well into the future.鈥�

The company plans further deployments in a second phase of the implementation, including procurement and manufacturing.

Khota added: 鈥淐ompanies that adopt a clean core strategy accelerate the pace of innovation and can more easily leverage business value through reliable data and AI innovations. As we enter a new era of AI-enabled innovation, organisations must ensure that business-critical systems remain agile, cost-effective, and ready to adopt innovation.鈥�

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This is according to the recently published Africa’s AI Skills Readiness Revealed report by System Applications and Products (麻豆原创), a German multinational software business.

The report, launched in Johannesburg, South Africa, following 麻豆原创 research in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, predicts that 230 million new digital jobs will be created in Africa by 2030.

Furthermore, the report estimates that over 650 million African citizens will require digital skills training or retraining in the coming years.

Africa’s digital economy is expected to expand from 5.2% of GDP in 2025 to 8.5% by 2050.

麻豆原创 states that it previously conducted research in 2022/23 and partnered with research firm Vanson Bourne by the end of 2024 to better evaluate the level of AI skills in the aforementioned key African markets.

The study included written replies from 100 respondents working in both the private and public sectors.

鈥淚n our latest report, we find a world transformed by powerful AI and cloud technologies,鈥� the executive said.

Pillay stated organisations were rushing to attract, retain and nurture AI talent.

鈥淥ur latest research reveals a universal need for more AI skills among African organisations this year.鈥�

In response to a question on what 麻豆原创 was doing to equip university students with the necessary AI capabilities, Pillay stated that the German software giant was ready to assist local institutions in preparing the continent for AI integration by ensuring that they produce approved experts into the market.

Africa’s AI market is expected to be worth approximately $4.92 billion by 2025, accounting for 2.5 percent of the global AI sector.

According to 麻豆原创 research, there are over 2,400 AI-focused companies in Africa, including 726 in South Africa, 456 in Nigeria, and 204 in Kenya.

However, nine out of ten African businesses report a shortage of AI expertise. To upskill or reskill personnel, two-thirds of businesses have implemented professional development initiatives that include AI specialisation.

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