The company outlined its strategy at 麻豆原创 Connect Day 2026, held this week in Kyalami, Johannesburg.

, MD for southern Africa at 麻豆原创, said the company’s role is to support organisations in implementing and scaling agentic AI across end-to-end systems as they transition towards .

Addressing the complexity and cost that continue to challenge organisations migrating systems and platforms, , VP of customer advisory for EMEA at 麻豆原创, said the company’s new agent-led transformation approach could reduce the effort required for multi-year ERP migrations by 35%.

Agentic AI assistants

麻豆原创 has introduced several migration and modernisation AI assistants, including data management, custom code, configuration, test management and change management assistants. According to the company, these are governed by Joule for both developers and consultants and are designed to execute complex business scenarios by reasoning iteratively and interacting with their environment to achieve defined goals.

Nolla cited 麻豆原创 research indicating that the highest-ranked strategy for maximising ROI from AI is aligning initiatives with clear business goals.

麻豆原创 said AI currently supports about 30% of tasks in the average business, with that figure projected to reach 48% within two years.

, head of solution advisory at 麻豆原创, said a major challenge in AI-driven digital transformation is what the company describes as the “enterprise paradox” 鈥� the expectation of instant enterprise AI clashing with the operational reality of complexity, manual processes and human behaviour.

Standard Bank’s transformation journey

, executive group CIO for corporate functions at Standard Bank, outlined the bank’s use of 麻豆原创 technology to address operational challenges, including end-of-life systems, expiring vendor support and the need for a modern cloud ERP platform to support future innovation.

The bank completed a large-scale ERP migration and implementation programme. Modernising core enterprise systems required careful planning, strong governance and close collaboration between business and technology teams. The programme established a platform capable of supporting growth, operational resilience and ongoing innovation.

Padiachee said one of the biggest challenges was the pace of technological change.

“Organisations are required to continuously adapt while maintaining stability across critical business operations. Change management is just as important as the technology implementation itself,” she said.

Modernisation, she added, should improve agility without creating unnecessary disruption to business operations.

She also highlighted the human factor. “It’s really about keeping people calm during turbulence,” she said, adding that AI is fundamentally changing how businesses operate. “The focus should move beyond experimentation towards delivering measurable value.”

According to Padiachee, AI initiatives should align with clear business outcomes rather than be driven by the technology’s popularity.

She said one of the most significant lessons from the transformation programme was the complexity of Unicode conversion.

“In hindsight, this work should have started much earlier in the programme. Unicode conversion proved more complex than anticipated and became a critical dependency for implementation. Investing time in foundational technical readiness significantly reduces downstream project risk.”

Padiachee also stressed the importance of high-quality enterprise data that is accurate, trusted, well-governed and accessible.

She advised organisations planning system and platform migrations, as well as AI integration, to begin with a clearly defined use case, establish strong partnerships and maintain robust governance and guardrails.

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Not so, says , MD: Southern Africa at 麻豆原创.

鈥淓RP is no longer just a system of record,鈥� she tells delegates to 麻豆原创 Connect taking place today in Kyalami.

鈥淲ith agentic AI, we can ensure it runs end-to-end business processes, creating autonomous ERP.鈥�

Today, AI supports 30% of tasks in the average business, according to an Oxford Economics study. And this is projected to rise to 48% in the next two years.

vice-president: customer advisory for EMEA at 麻豆原创, points out that around 40 000 of 麻豆原创鈥檚 customers have already adopted 麻豆原创 Business AI in their productive systems.

鈥淎nd we are learning from that,鈥� he says.

Nolla believes 麻豆原创 is well placed to help customers adopt AI, through its 麻豆原创 Autonomous Enterprise vision.

The key components of this vision are three-fold

鈥淵ou have the capability to bring teams long with one engagement layer 鈥� Joule.

鈥淭eams connect with embedded agents and AI in 麻豆原创 Autonomous Suite, using best practices and processes.

鈥淎nd customers have the ability to extend agents, maintaining context and reasoning, and ensuring governance with .鈥�

Nolla explains that is the engagement layer that connects experts in the business with the AI processes.

It has been available for some time and has been widely used to unify the AI experience. It has also been updated along the way, for instance with Joule Consultants that have more than 100 certifications.

A few weeks ago, 麻豆原创 announced additional evolutions. leveraging Harness-powered Joule and Joule Work to create spaces for specific tasks.

鈥淛oule is the engagement layer to bring the people along,鈥� Nolla summarises.

Adding the processes and best practices, 麻豆原创 Autonomous Suite embeds AI scenarios throughout the portfolio, from HR, customer service, supply chain, finance and industry solutions.

With hundreds of agents available, Joule Assistants help workers by bringing together the relevant agents to perform specific tasks.

鈥淭hink of it as a new team member helping staff accomplish their goals,鈥� Nolla says.

In addition, 麻豆原创 Industry AI is AI that already knows how specific industries operate, so the system can work with context.

鈥淏ut does AI have a true understanding of your business? Is it aligned to your KPIs, and does it have the governance in place?鈥� Nolla asks.

鈥溌槎乖� Business AI Platform brings these capabilities to the business.鈥�

With Joule Studio giving workers the ability to create new agents on the fly, the possibility of hundreds 鈥� even thousands 鈥� of agents within the business could become unwieldly.

鈥淪o governance is more important than ever,鈥� Nolla says. 鈥淭he AI Agent Hub gives IT the ability to connect and understand these agents. They can discover, manage and govern all the agents in one place.

鈥淭his gives the business power, control and trust.鈥�

Within the next few months, 麻豆原创 will also release enriched agentic AI tools and assistants to help with data management, configuration, development and testing to improve migration projects.

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, executive: group CIO for corporate functions at Standard Bank Group, explains that the finance organisation was at a crossroads back in 2022.

鈥淲e had to remediate for an end of life, end of support problem, and we also had a unique business problem we needed to solve for.鈥�

Since then, the organisation has successfully migrated group reporting and the ledgers, and has completed two successful month-ends, she says.

Padiachee points out that technology is changing at such a rapid pace it is hard for organisations to keep up.

鈥淎gentic artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting business, and it鈥檚 no longer around experimentation and productive use cases. We are looking at enterprise-scale cases for real business value.鈥�

The big challenges in this scenario she says, are the workforce, the data and cybersecurity.

But central to any change, she adds, is to retain a business agenda regardless of how hard it is.

鈥淭echnology is hard, but the hardest part of change is the soft side,鈥� Padiachee says.

In her particular project, it took months to get to the point of deciding to migrate to 麻豆原创 Rise. Having decided to go forward, the first order of priority was to bring the various teams together.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about you and your internal teams. There are a number of stakeholders. And it is a long journey, so you have to ensure you keep people calm during the turbulence.鈥�

Although there were not many role changes, Padiachee explains that there was a lot of rethinking about how work was executed. 鈥淲ith the new platforms, teams have the opportunity to solve things differently.鈥�

Padiachee鈥檚 team built a foundation upon which business processes could be optimised. 鈥淪o we partnered with the business to redesign the data processes. And reshaping the processes meant changing the governance and reporting.鈥�

Getting people to change old habits means reinforcing that they had the ability to be more agile and more efficient, layering more functionality with AI.

Padiachee had to balance complexity, with business, regulation and customers on one side, and a technology platform on the other.

鈥淭hese competing priorities were a challenge,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I believe you have to understand where you are now and where you want to go.

鈥淚 am a great believer in architecture: that builds a roadmap about how you want to transform. You can unpack the roadmap and incrementally deliver against it.

鈥淢y vision, from a Standard Bank perspective, is that we have a roadmap and we are now layering on the next pieces of technology.鈥�

Innovation is key, and it鈥檚 important to allow teams to innovate, Padiachee adds. 鈥淭his keeps them inspired and motivated, and lets them hone their own skills.

鈥淏ut it needs to be in a controlled environment, partnering with vendors, keeping governance and guardrails in place, and safeguarding the data. This allows for agility.鈥�

Innovations then need to be brought back into the mainstream systems, again with guardrails, in a controlled and reviewed manner.

What was the main leadership learning that Padiachee has taken away from the migration?

鈥淧artnership was key for me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was important to build the right partnerships with all the stakeholders.鈥�

Leaders should also recognise that the project won鈥檛 always go to plan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 OK if the project is red,鈥� Padiachee says. 鈥淭his highlights issues and provides the focus to unpack and resolve those issues.鈥�

She advises that this environment allows teams to give constructive feedback. 鈥淎nd you can鈥檛 just stand aside and watch the project 鈥� sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to help solve a problem.鈥�

A key to the migration鈥檚 success was understanding the roles of IT and business.

鈥淲e led with a technology problem,鈥� Padiachee says. 鈥淭hat was the highest priority because we were facing end of life and support. We then partnered with business to optimise on that.鈥�

Dealing with rapid change needs to be built into any project, she adds. 鈥淗ave a clear strategy and roadmap, and review that roadmap every six months. Things change so quickly, you may need to pivot along the way.鈥�

Sponsorship is critical for project success, she points out. 鈥淚f you start this journey, you need to ensure you have sponsorship from the right executives.鈥�

A big migration goes beyond technology and business: if organisations don鈥檛 embed culture from the beginning, the project can stall.

鈥淲e laid out key roles for IT and business,鈥� Padiachee explains. 鈥淲e had to bring the entire finance team with us, so business took the lead.

鈥淵ou can deliver the best technology, but if you don鈥檛 have right culture you will fail. And you can鈥檛 bring people in at the end 鈥� they have to be on board from the onset.鈥�

Part of the change management was training, which is an continual process, and onboarding.

If it continues on the path of its current vision, Padiachee believes that Standard Bank will be a future-ready organisation, transformed, and running the best AI-enabled and autonomous finance technology.

She concludes with some key takeaways from her experience in migrating to Rise:

• Start with a business case and ensure solid back-up all the way to the board
• Be very clear what problem you need to solve. You can鈥檛 solve everything, so start small then build from there
• Sponsorship is important
• Build partnerships 鈥� and don鈥檛 be afraid to have the tough conversations
• Strong governance is important
• The role between technology and business is critical, with a solid view of what each does
• Ensure that, at end of the programme, you can go back to the business case and check that you did deliver.

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Organisations across industries are using cloud modernisation to build stronger digital foundations, unlock greater agility and embed artificial intelligence directly into business processes.

Companies across Europe are demonstrating how cloud transformation is creating the foundation for more intelligent, resilient and efficient business operations, with several organisations showcasing recent implementation progress at 麻豆原创 麻豆原创PHIRE, held in Madrid between 19 and 21 May.

, Managing Director for Southern Africa at 麻豆原创, says: 鈥淐loud transformation has become the foundation for the next phase of business innovation. By modernising core systems and moving to more scalable, secure and intelligent platforms, organisations can simplify complexity, strengthen resilience and create the conditions for AI to deliver measurable business value.鈥�

Companies RISE to the cloud

is emerging as a leading force in AI-driven retail transformation, combining large-scale cloud adoption with hands-on co-innovation to shape the future of the industry together with 麻豆原创. Following its successful go-live in 2025, Salling Group now operates what is widely regarded as the largest private cloud deployment of globally.

This transformation has laid the digital foundation for embedding AI directly into core retail processes鈥攖urning ERP from a transactional backbone into an intelligent, real-time decision engine.

For Salling Group, technologies such as and 麻豆原创 Business AI are not incremental improvements, but a fundamental change in how the business operates. From forecasting and replenishment to store operations and reporting, AI is enabling faster decisions, reducing manual workloads, and helping employees focus on higher-value tasks.

Agents automate time-consuming procurement task

The Danish wholesaler has deployed artificial intelligence to automate one of the most time-consuming tasks in procurement: processing supplier order confirmations. The solution consists of multiple AI agents, each responsible for a clearly defined task, orchestrated into a single automated workflow built on 麻豆原创鈥檚 Business AI framework. The outcome is faster processing, improved data quality, and more accurate delivery information for customers.

With the coordinated AI agents in place, the company can now automatically identify delays, quantity changes, and price discrepancies 鈥� and respond significantly faster.

鈥淲e have previously tried both robotic process automation (RPA) and traditional automation approaches without really achieving the desired effect. The key difference this time is that we broke the task down into multiple independent AI agents, each responsible for a specific part of the process. Together, they now handle what previously required manual review,鈥� says , IT Director at 尝别尘惫颈驳丑-惭眉濒濒别谤.

The solution was implemented in close collaboration with , which was responsible for making the solution production-ready and fully integrated into 尝别尘惫颈驳丑-惭眉濒濒别谤鈥檚 麻豆原创 landscape.

鈥淏y distributing responsibilities across multiple AI agents, 尝别尘惫颈驳丑-惭眉濒濒别谤 has been able to automate a complex process without losing transparency or control. This has enabled a fast and secure transition from pilot to production and ensures a more robust solution that can easily be expanded as new requirements emerge,鈥� says , 麻豆原创 UX Manager at NTT DATA Business Solutions.

鈥淭his is the first AI agent solution we have put into production. The experience has given us the confidence to consider similar approaches across other areas, including invoice processing and order management,鈥� Frederik Aakerlund concludes.

Pillay adds: 鈥淭hese examples show how cloud modernisation and AI adoption are becoming inseparable. When organisations have a strong digital core, trusted data and scalable cloud infrastructure, they can move beyond experimentation and start embedding intelligence into the processes that matter most. That is where transformation begins to translate into real business impact.鈥�

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麻豆原创 recently hosted a Connect Day during which business leaders discussed how these technologies can be used to drive real results through the firm鈥檚 newly launched Autonomous Enterprise solution. 

Unveiled last month during the 麻豆原创 Sapphire 2026, the solution is positioned to support AI agents, grounded in real business data and governance, to execute core processes end-to-end.

麻豆原创 believes this will result in measurable value across several functions including finance, supply chain, and human capital management.

Nazia Pillay, managing director for Southern Africa at 麻豆原创, said the timing is apt.

鈥淥rganisations are no longer asking whether AI, data, and cloud will shape the future of business. They are asking how to apply these technologies in ways that deliver measurable outcomes, strengthen decision-making and build trust.鈥�

鈥溌槎乖� Connect Day Botswana is an important platform for local leaders to explore how global innovation can be translated into practical strategies that support growth, resilience and sustainable transformation in the region,鈥� she added.

According to 麻豆原创, the value of enterprise AI depends on the strength of the business foundation beneath it.

鈥淎I can only deliver meaningful value when it is connected to trusted data, embedded into business processes and governed responsibly. This is where enterprises need to focus their attention. The goal is not AI for its own sake, but AI that helps people make better decisions, automate routine work, unlock new efficiencies and create stronger organisations,鈥� said Pillay.

She said organisations that establish strong data foundations and move to cloud-based platforms will be best positioned to deploy autonomous capabilities as they mature, while also building enterprises that are more efficient, more resilient, and more competitive.

鈥淏y combining trusted data, cloud-enabled processes, responsible AI and strong partnerships, businesses can become more agile, more resilient and better positioned to serve their customers, employees and communities,鈥� Pillay concluded.

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and the are showcasing how modernisation programmes built on 麻豆原创 technologies are helping organisations move beyond fragmented systems and legacy processes toward more unified, scalable and intelligent operating models.

At this year鈥檚 flagship 麻豆原创 麻豆原创PHIRE event held in Madrid between 19 and 21 May, both organisations shared insights into their modernisation efforts and the impact of initiatives such as RISE with 麻豆原创 to fast-track digital transformation and unlock business outcomes.

, Managing Director for Southern Africa at 麻豆原创, says: 鈥淢odernisation is no longer only about replacing legacy systems. It is about building the digital foundations that allow organisations to simplify complexity, improve efficiency and unlock new value from cloud, data and AI. Whether in the public sector or global industry, 麻豆原创 is helping customers create more agile, intelligent and future-ready organisations.鈥�

City of Madrid advances digital public administration

The Madrid City Council is collaborating with 麻豆原创 Spain on the comprehensive modernisation of its internal management through 麻豆原创 software. The objective is to digitalise procedures, improve efficiency and deliver better services to municipal employees and citizens in finance, revenue management and human resources.

The City Council has worked with 麻豆原创 software for two decades, beginning in 2004 with solutions in finance and HR. In 2020, it launched its public administration modernisation project with the migration to the private cloud. This process is now advancing with the adoption of and .

The challenge was to move beyond traditional models based on fragmented systems, paper-based procedures and isolated developments. In public administration, this fragmentation can slow processes, duplicate data, limit visibility and make it harder to manage revenues, budgets and human resources in an integrated way.

The solution has been to consolidate a new public management model based on unified management, real-time information and digitalised processes. RISE with 麻豆原创 provides the foundation for the move to the private cloud, while 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform provides the platform for integration, extension and application development.

The transformation has had a significant impact in the tax domain, where 麻豆原创 tax and revenue management solutions are being integrated into the city鈥檚 financial platform. This enables municipal revenues to be managed as a natural extension of the financial system, supporting an end-to-end view of the full cycle from taxpayer registration and assessment to collection and inspection.

Currently, two-thirds of the City Council鈥檚 tax revenues are already managed within this environment, including Property Tax, the Urban Waste Tax for Business Activities, Capital Gains Tax and the Terrace Tax. The next step will be to incorporate the Motor Vehicle Tax and the Economic Activities Tax.

The project has also focused on data quality. During the first year, the City Council carried out a cleansing and harmonisation of master data from previous management systems, generating taxpayer 鈥淕olden Records鈥� and enabling an efficiency rate of 98.02% for Property Tax in 2024.

, IT Manager of Madrid City Council, says: 鈥淭his project marks a paradigm shift: we are moving from managing paper files and isolated systems to managing information and processes in an integrated and intelligent way, with a 360-degree view.鈥�

The impact is being felt across internal management and citizen services. The project supports end-to-end process digitalisation and a 鈥減aperless鈥� administration model, while automation, AI capabilities and robotic process automation are helping reduce manual workloads, minimise errors and improve decision-making through real-time analytics.

Prysmian builds an AI-ready global platform

Prysmian, a global leader in cable solutions for energy and telecommunications, is demonstrating how modernisation can create the foundation for broader business transformation.

The challenge for Prysmian was to strengthen its digital core as it evolved from a cable manufacturer to a global provider of solutions supporting the energy transition and digital transformation. With 鈧�20 billion in revenue, 34 000 employees across more than 50 countries, 109 manufacturing plants and 30 R&D centres, the company needed a unified, resilient and AI-ready platform to support its next phase of business evolution.

Prysmian completed the evolution of its digital infrastructure through RISE with 麻豆原创 in just four months, creating a unified, resilient and AI-ready cloud platform. Through the integration of , , and 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform, the company built an intelligent platform designed to improve operational efficiency, accelerate decision-making and enhance predictive capabilities.

, Group CIO and Digital Officer at Prysmian, says: 鈥淩ISE with 麻豆原创 provided us with a global ERP foundation, 麻豆原创 BTP connected engineering and business, while embedded AI transformed the way our employees interact with data, redefining how Prysmian operates at scale.鈥�

The impact has been significant. Prysmian has achieved 70% automation of repetitive activities through embedded AI, an 80% reduction in the implementation time of new innovative solutions, and a 50% acceleration in time-to-market for new products.

The company has also introduced concrete AI use cases across business processes, including intelligent customer order automation, automated payment reconciliation and smart expense management. At the same time, Prysmian is using 麻豆原创 BTP to build an advanced cable design platform connecting engineering and business functions, standardising rules, processes and bills of materials to accelerate product development and increase competitiveness.

Pillay adds: 鈥淭he City of Madrid and Prysmian show how modernisation creates measurable value when it is connected to clear organisational priorities. By integrating processes, improving data quality and building intelligent cloud platforms, organisations can improve how they operate today while preparing for the next wave of innovation.鈥�

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The 2026 Future of Jobs Summit™ in Sandton did not begin with optimism. It began with urgency.

Held against the backdrop of, the summit brought together business leaders, policymakers, educators, innovators, investors, and youth voices at a moment when the country is confronting one of the deepest employment challenges in its democratic history.

The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Statistics South Africa paints a sobering picture: official unemployment has climbed to 32.7%, more than 8.1 million South Africans remain unemployed, and youth unemployment among 15鈥�24-year-olds stands at a devastating 60.9%.

But perhaps the most important insight emerging from the summit was this: South Africa cannot solve today鈥檚 jobs crisis with yesterday鈥檚 industries.

The global economy is reorganising itself at extraordinary speed around artificial intelligence, automation, renewable energy, digital services, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and entirely new forms of work and entrepreneurship.

New categories of jobs are emerging globally while traditional sectors face increasing disruption.

And yet much of South Africa鈥檚 national economic conversation remains anchored in the assumptions of the past. This is not simply a jobs crisis. It is a future-readiness crisis. That reality shaped the central focus of the 2nd Future of Jobs Summit™: Next10!, recognised in 2025 as an official T20 Side Event linked to South Africa鈥檚 G20 Presidency.

Rather than positioning itself as another conference filled with abstract policy discussions, the summit was designed as a national strategy platform focused on implementation, collaboration, and future industries.

Throughout the day, speakers repeatedly returned to one central theme: South Africa鈥檚 future competitiveness will depend on how quickly the country can align government, business, education, technology, and investment around scalable job creation ecosystems.

Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Agriculture and Rural Development Hon. Vuyiswa Ramokgopa opened the summit by outlining how Gauteng is working to build a more inclusive growth economy capable of creating opportunities for young people.

Lance Williams, Public Sector Lead at 麻豆原创 South Africa, challenged delegates to rethink how technology and human potential can collectively rewrite South Africa鈥檚 economic story in the age of artificial intelligence.

Melvyn Lubega, Head of the Digital Service Unit in The Presidency, highlighted the growing importance of digital infrastructure and the digital economy in expanding pathways to employment and entrepreneurship for young South Africans.

One of the strongest messages emerging from the summit was that no single sector can solve the unemployment crisis alone.

The 2026 CEO Dialogue™, CHRO Dialogue™, and CMO Dialogue™ brought together business leaders, HR executives, and marketing leaders to discuss practical interventions around youth employability, leadership development, skills alignment, and industry collaboration.

Additional contributions from leaders such as Prof Bismark Tyobeka of North-West University, Marc Lubner of Afrika Tikkun, Faith Mangope of the Faith Mangope Technology & Leadership Institute, and Barry Hendricks of SASCOC reinforced the importance of education, technology, sport, and social innovation in building pathways toward employment and inclusion.

Importantly, the summit was not positioned merely as a discussion platform, but as the beginning of a longer-term national movement around future readiness and collaborative action.

Among the key outcomes announced were:

• The development of a Future Industries Report™ for national stakeholders;
• The creation of a Future of Jobs Charter™ co-authored by delegates;
• New collaboration pathways between business, education, government, and youth-focused organisations;
• Practical recommendations on youth employment, entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, and future skills development;
• A roadmap positioning South Africa as a continental hub for future industries and innovation.

But perhaps the summit鈥檚 most important contribution was psychological rather than technical. At a time when unemployment statistics dominate national headlines and pessimism increasingly shapes public discourse, the summit sought to reposition South Africa鈥檚 narrative from decline toward possibility.

Because despite the severity of the crisis, South Africa possesses many of the ingredients needed to compete in the future global economy: a sophisticated financial sector, globally respected entrepreneurs, expanding digital infrastructure, deep natural resources, world-class creativity, a strong tourism brand, and one of the youngest populations in the world.

What South Africa lacks is not potential. It lacks alignment.

One of the most powerful historical reminders referenced during the summit was South Africa鈥檚 preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Between 2004 and 2010, the country created approximately three million jobs during a period of coordinated infrastructure investment, tourism growth, and national mobilisation.

The lesson remains relevant today: when South Africa aligns around a compelling national mission, progress accelerates. But the challenge facing the country now is arguably even greater.

South Africa is no longer competing only for tourists or investment flows. It is competing for relevance in a rapidly changing global economy increasingly shaped by technology, sustainability, innovation, and talent mobility.

Countries that fail to reposition themselves around future industries risk being left behind economically, technologically, and socially.

South Africa cannot afford to arrive late once again. Because ultimately, the future of jobs is not only about employment. It is about dignity. It is about inclusion. It is about restoring belief among millions of young South Africans that they still have a meaningful place in the future economy.

And perhaps the most important question raised by yesterday鈥檚 summit is this: Will South Africa continue defending industries of the past 鈥� or will it finally begin building the industries of the future?

Dr Nik Eberl is the founder and executive chair: The Future of Jobs Summit™ (Official T20 Side Event). He is also the author of Nation of Champions: How South Africa won the World Cup of Destination Branding).

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During panel discussions held at the Summit, it was revealed that the worsening unemployment crisis and the rapid rise of  are forcing business leaders, policymakers and youth advocates to confront an urgent reality: traditional approaches to job creation are no longer enough.

With youth unemployment among people aged 15 to 34 sitting at 45.8%, experts said the country must rethink how it prepares young people for a rapidly changing labour market increasingly shaped by technology, automation and digital skills.

Speaking during discussions focused on the future of work and employability in Africa, business leaders and youth development advocates stressed that collaboration between corporates, government and civil society will be critical to creating sustainable employment pathways.

, Chief Executive Officer of the , one of the panelists at discussions held during the Summit said connecting young people to opportunities and networks is one of the biggest challenges facing the country.

鈥淪kills become more powerful when young people are able to connect to people who can teach them and upskill them,鈥� said Gibbs.

She explained that many young South Africans face fear and uncertainty when trying to enter the workforce, particularly as AI transforms industries and career paths.

鈥淭here is so much fear in trying to find a job. It is all of us that need to do something different,鈥� she said. 鈥淐onnecting skills with opportunities is what we need to look at and AI is a fantastic tool to help you with creating and opening up that conversation.鈥�

Gibbs added that behind the unemployment statistics are real people and communities struggling to find stability and opportunity.

鈥淏ehind these figures there are faces, names and stories,鈥� she said.

They further argued that while AI is often viewed as a threat to employment, it also presents significant opportunities for those willing to adapt and learn new skills.

,聽麻豆原创 Young Professionals Graduate (YPP), Global Government Affairs & CSR Intern at 麻豆原创, said fears around AI replacing jobs often stem from resistance to change.

鈥淭he notion of AI taking jobs comes from the notion of not willing to learn,鈥� Motseta said. 鈥淲e need to learn and adopt as it can assist in daily work lives.鈥�

She encouraged young people to invest in understanding AI and digital tools in order to remain competitive.

鈥淲e should be investing in learning more about AI and to remain up to date,鈥� she said.

During a panel discussion under the banner:聽Creating Jobs in the Age of AI,聽,聽a senior solution advisor and AI specialist at 麻豆原创 said聽organisations and individuals alike need to embrace a mindset shift around reskilling.

鈥淚f we do not come to terms that we need to adapt and reskill, people who are willing will not be left behind,鈥� Sevel said.

The discussions also highlighted the widening digital and skills gap facing corporate South Africa.

, 鈥檚 Tech Consulting Leader and Tech Alliances Leader said many technology firms and banks are already facing ageing skills gaps and increasing demand for digital talent.

鈥淢ost tech and banks have an ageing skills gap,鈥� Shaun said. 鈥淚t requires people to think differently and work together.鈥�

He added that stronger collaboration between businesses is needed to scale meaningful employment interventions.

鈥淔orums such as these are exceptional. We need more corporates in the room with more commitments made,鈥� he said.

The role of infrastructure in enabling long term job creation also emerged as a major theme.

, Head of the Digital Service Unit in the Presidency and chairperson at the , argued that sustainable job creation depends on building strong digital infrastructure rather than relying solely on companies to create jobs directly.

鈥淛ob creation does not come from companies. It comes from infrastructure,鈥� Lubega said.

He pointed to countries such as India, where investment in digital infrastructure unlocked innovation and large scale economic participation.

鈥淪outh Africa has good foundations, a strong banking sector, strong institutions and incredible talent,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut everyone is working in their own silos and we need to come together and collaborate.鈥�

Executives from聽聽also stressed that Africa鈥檚 future workforce will need to adapt rapidly as industries evolve.

, Managing Executive: TalentManagement and Transitions at Absa Group, said Africa鈥檚 future growth story depends on decisions being made now around skills development and employability.

鈥淭he decisions we make every day shape the continent,鈥� Bako said. 鈥淲e need to build the skills of the future and create sustainable jobs.鈥�

According to the World Economic Forum, roughly 60% of Africa鈥檚 workforce will need reskilling in the coming years as technology reshapes industries and business models.

, Chairperson and CEO, warned that the speed of change is leaving many young people underprepared for the realities of modern work.

鈥淭he change that is taking place is chaotic and we are not necessarily equipping young individuals for what is out there,鈥� Mark said.

He argued that businesses, and civil society organisations need to work more closely together to understand the realities facing young communities.

鈥淐ivil society lives on the streets. They have a deep understanding of what the young community wants,鈥� he said.

Amanda Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer of the African 麻豆原创 User Group, one of the panelists at discussions held during the Summit said connecting young people to opportunities and networks is one of the biggest challenges facing the country.

鈥淪kills become more powerful when young people are able to connect to people who can teach them and upskill them,鈥� said Gibbs.

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鈥淲ill 麻豆原创 actually be a software company in the future?鈥�

It鈥檚 not the kind of question the CEO of a software company would usually ask thousands of customers, partners and analysts. At Sapphire 2026, 麻豆原创鈥檚 annual conference held this month in Orlando and Madrid, CEO Christian Klein asked his audience if they were scared by the question.

鈥淚鈥檓 not scared,鈥� he answered himself. 鈥淔or me, the time right now is the beginning of something even better.鈥�

The conference saw the launch of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Business AI Platform, a unified environment for building and governing AI agents across enterprise operations, grounded in real business context.

The strategy is to enhance critical business workflows, so that humans and AI work together to meet the accelerating demands of global business.

鈥淎ccording to a recent Stanford AI survey, almost every company is now using AI, but many see only little value,鈥� said Klein. 鈥淲hy do we face such huge challenges with AI in business? At the top of this iceberg, visible to everyone, is that large language models are getting better and better at tasks like generating text or images or in specific domains like writing software.

鈥淎ll of these use cases are related to publicly available content the modules are trained on. But if you go below the waterline, beyond the level of sales demos, and into the real business world, you鈥檙e going to find out that none of these models are trained on your business data and processes.

鈥淭hese AI agents also don鈥檛 naturally adhere to governance requirements, like your security compliance framework, your data privacy requirements, or to your company鈥檚 identity and authorisation rules. All AI agents 鈥� have faced these challenges until now.鈥�

The solution, he suggested, was that a company鈥檚 enterprise resource planning system, or ERP, should be recognised as the brain of every business. Since 麻豆原创 is world leader in ERP software, one might argue, naturally the CEO would say that.

But Klein made a good case for it: 鈥淔or over 15 years we have been developing an ERP with incredibly deep process and data domain know-how. On top of that, all your governance requirements and customer-specific extensions are stored in the ERP. The ERP is the trusted system of execution running your company.鈥�

Powerful external validation came from Anthropic, the company behind the Claude family of AI models, and that is competing neck and neck with Open AI to become the most valuable AI platform company in the world. At Sapphire, 麻豆原创 shared video testimony from Anthropic co-founder and president the Daniela Amodei in which she declared: 鈥淭he world鈥檚 largest enterprises run on 麻豆原创. That鈥檚 exactly where trusted AI belongs.鈥�

That significance of this alignment revolves around the core value proposition of the Business AI Platform: trustworthiness.

JPMorgan Chase CFO Jeremy Barnum, who joined Klein on stage in Orlando, said his bank was already running agents in production on 麻豆原创, operating within defined compliance boundaries.

鈥淭he agents that we鈥檝e built are not inventing their own business rules,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hose rules rather come directly from 麻豆原创 Embedded Control Framework, and every AI-driven intervention is logged and fully traceable.鈥�

One organisation鈥檚 production deployment does not establish a category. But the compliance architecture it describes is precisely what most organisations attempting enterprise AI have not yet achieved.

Jensen Huang, CEO of $5-trillion AI chipmaker Nvidia, also appeared in a pre-recorded video segment, making it clear that AI agents would not replace ERP. The most ringing endorsement? Nvidia itself used 麻豆原创 as its ERP brain: 鈥淲hat 麻豆原创 and Nvidia are building together is one of the most important platforms in enterprise AI. Nvidia鈥檚 supply chain is incredibly complex. Millions of parts, hundreds of partners and factories, all connected through 麻豆原创. But what鈥檚 changing is not just how enterprise systems are managed, it鈥檚 how work actually gets done.

鈥淲e鈥檙e moving from hand-coded software to AI that can understand, reason, and act. AI no longer simply answers questions. It works for you. And enterprise systems are where work happens. Finance, supply chains, procurement, and every workflow in between.

鈥溌槎乖� is the foundation of enterprise. And now they鈥檙e building the agents that sit on top of it, trained on proprietary data with the skills to act. Soon, every company will have a workforce of agents. These specialised agents will not replace enterprise software. They will make enterprise software more powerful than ever.鈥�

* Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx, editor-in-chief of , and author of 鈥淭he Hitchhiker鈥檚 Guide to AI 鈥� The African Edge鈥�.

This article first appeared in .

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Leading organisations throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa are revealing how business AI has shifted from experimentation to realised business value at this year鈥檚 麻豆原创 麻豆原创PHIRE, held in Madrid between 19 and 21 May.

The event included demonstrations of two different but connected approaches to AI adoption by and . Ericsson is building the governed data foundation needed to scale AI across the enterprise, while Martur Fompak International is embedding AI directly into physical manufacturing operations to transform execution on the shop floor.

Nazia Pillay, Managing Director for Southern Africa at 麻豆原创, says: 鈥淭he next phase of AI adoption is about execution. Organisations are looking for trusted data foundations, strong governance and practical business use cases that can deliver measurable value. By embedding AI into the systems and workflows companies already use, 麻豆原创 is helping customers scale AI responsibly and turn ambition into real-world impact.鈥�

Nazia Pillay

Ericsson builds the foundation for trusted AI at scale

Ericsson is moving from AI experimentation to enterprise-wide execution by building a unified business data fabric with . The approach enables the company to scale AI use cases across the business, accelerate decision-making and deliver measurable operational impact.

Ericsson, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, provides mobile network infrastructure across 180 countries, with more than 40% of the world鈥檚 mobile traffic passing through its networks. As AI becomes central to both its technology roadmap and how it runs the business, Ericsson has prioritised building a strong, governed data foundation to support scalable and trusted AI.

鈥淥nce you scale AI, it stops being an AI problem鈥攁nd becomes a data problem,鈥� says , Vice President, Customer Experience, Enterprise IT at Ericsson. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we invested early in a business data fabric. With 麻豆原创 Business Data Cloud, we can define what data means once鈥攆rom revenue to market structures and access rules鈥攁nd apply it consistently across the enterprise. That鈥檚 what allows us to scale AI in a way that is trusted, repeatable and delivers real business value.鈥�

At the core of Ericsson鈥檚 approach is a federated data architecture that allows data to remain in place while centrally managing business semantics, governance and lifecycle policies. By focusing on high-impact use cases and organising around end-to-end business processes rather than isolated solutions, Ericsson has moved beyond pilots to scaled deployment. Today, more than 85 000 users are live on unified Joule, supported by strong executive sponsorship and governance.

麻豆原创 and Ericsson are also collaborating on AI co-innovation initiatives, including an intelligent goal recommendation capability developed within 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors. The solution generates contextual, business-aligned goals for employees, improving execution and reducing administrative effort.

Martur Fompak brings AI into physical manufacturing operations

Martur Fompak International, a global leader in automotive seating and interior systems, has deployed an autonomous intralogistics model enabled by and embodied AI capabilities from 麻豆原创, marking a significant milestone in its journey toward intelligent, AI-driven manufacturing operations.

In an industry rapidly shifting toward AI-powered operations, Martur Fompak International saw an opportunity to reimagine its material flow. Building on efficient, people-driven processes already in place, the company partnered with 麻豆原创 and , a UK-based robotics and AI company, to explore how embodied AI-powered robotics could redefine material flow across its automotive manufacturing environment.

Using Joule and embodied AI capabilities from 麻豆原创, Martur Fompak International now connects production signals and business context directly to autonomous execution, creating a context-aware automation system that prioritises, picks and delivers materials while adapting in real time to changing business conditions.

Built on and enabled by , the solution enriches humanoid robots with real-time knowledge of tasks, attributes and exception handling. Guided by material data, storage locations, sequencing and production priorities, humanoid robots execute material flows across a live automotive manufacturing environment, identifying, transporting and delivering materials to the line while continuously confirming back into 麻豆原创 solutions.

Together with autonomous mobile robots, the company has created a fully automated, scalable material flow that boosts throughput, improves accuracy and reduces reliance on manual coordination. By assigning repetitive, non-value-adding and physically demanding tasks to robots, Martur Fompak International is enabling its people to focus on safer, more meaningful and higher-value work.

鈥淥ur humanoid robot collaborates with digital production systems to ensure seamless coordination across order management, logistics and production, enabling scalable AI adoption and improving efficiency, consistency and operational resilience,鈥� says , Group Intelligent Technologies Director at Martur Fompak International.

Early results show increased throughput, fewer errors and a scalable, AI-driven intralogistics model. With 400 daily production line feeds and 100% 麻豆原创 software-driven decision-making already in place, Martur Fompak International is advancing beyond traditional automation and pioneering a scalable, intelligent factory model.

Pillay adds: 鈥淓ricsson and Martur Fompak International show that AI delivers the greatest value when it is grounded in business context and embedded into core processes. From enterprise data foundations to intelligent robotics on the factory floor, these examples demonstrate how organisations can scale AI responsibly, improve productivity and create measurable business impact.鈥�

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