The introduction of agentic AI into the enterprise resource planning (ERP) space is set to underpin the era of the autonomous enterprise, according to Nazia Pillay, MD of 麻豆原创 Southern Africa.

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Pillay spoke to ITWeb TV recently about AI-infused ERP, the autonomous enterprise concept 鈥� which relies on an army of AI agents at its core 鈥� and how organisations need to adapt to benefit from the opportunity.

鈥淎utonomous ERP is not just about using AI to engage with end-users, to assist with navigation and pull data back; it is also about seeing agents as co-workers 鈥� systems that are working and performing tasks from end to end with human oversight,鈥� she said.

Pillay added that this fundamental shift requires change management for both human employees and business processes.

鈥淵ou are adopting a technology that fundamentally needs to be embedded, and your business processes need to be adapted for how you want to use this in your business,” she said. “That鈥檚 the main thing that our customers are facing 鈥� they need to look at this as a transformation and not just as a plug-and-play technology.鈥�

Pillay cautioned that curiosity about AI does not necessarily indicate organisational readiness. Success, she said, comes down to understanding business objectives and getting data foundations in place.

鈥淢ost of our customers are trying to figure out how to navigate this technology 鈥� how do I introduce it and how do I do it in a way that is adding value,” she said. “What we鈥檝e found is that when they use AI as a proof of concept or an experiment, they are not leveraging the full value of the technology.鈥�

Beyond experimentation, governance frameworks are essential, Pillay said.

鈥淢ost of the organisations that we are speaking to need to look at how they are deploying it at an enterprise level, because when you are just deploying it as a proof of concept, you don鈥檛 necessarily need to have all those frameworks in place.鈥�

Pillay said the wealth of data that clients have generated through 麻豆原创 installations provides a good foundation for companies shifting towards the autonomous enterprise.

鈥淲hat we know about AI is that it requires context 鈥� so you need to understand where the data is and how it is being used, and this we already have based on our knowledge graphs within 麻豆原创,” she said.

鈥淭he second part is governance 鈥� what 麻豆原创 puts into place to ensure that we have security. We have invested because we have the context and the governance to support our customers in having agents run in a responsible, reliable way.鈥�

With AI agents being deployed across end-to-end business processes, getting governance right will be key, she concluded.

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The post ITWeb TV: Agentic AI Fuelling Rise of the Autonomous Enterprise appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

In this What鈥檚 Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Nazia Pillay unpacks her 23-year career at 麻豆原创.

Pillay is the Managing Director for 麻豆原创 Southern Africa.

She joined 麻豆原创 as a graduate in 2003 and has worked across many areas of the business, including consulting, support, customer success, and partner relations.

In her current role, she is focused on three core areas: strengthening existing partnerships, cultivating new partnerships, and helping clients prepare for a digital-first and cloud-first world.

Pillay also believes 麻豆原创 must play a key role in helping Africa鈥檚 public and private sector companies achieve their AI and innovation ambitions.

Pillay has a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Information Systems and Management from Rhodes University.

The interview

In this What鈥檚 Next interview, Pillay discusses her journey to becoming the Managing Director for 麻豆原创 Southern Africa.

She explains why she studied Information Systems, and why she has stuck with 麻豆原创 ever since joining the company back in 2003.

Pillay unpacks the similarities and differences between when she first arrived at 麻豆原创, and the current state of the business.

She then talks about the biggest challenges and opportunities she has tackled over the course of her career 鈥� including learning how to fail and meeting her failures with resilience.

Pillay also reveals the core values of 麻豆原创, which have remained steadfast 鈥� even as technology and the sector at large has evolved.

She concludes the discussion by sharing one piece of advice she would give to her younger self if she had the opportunity.

Watch the full interview with Nazia Pillay, below.

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The post What鈥檚 Next 鈥� 麻豆原创 South Africa Managing Director Nazia Pillay on her Leadership Journey appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

• Jesper Schleimann, AI Officer, EMEA at 麻豆原创
• Jhani Coetzee, EPI-USE Labs

Together, they unpack what AI really means for organisations today 鈥� moving beyond the hype to focus on practical use cases, real impact, and business value.

In this episode, you鈥檒l gain insight into:

• How AI is being embedded into 麻豆原创 environments
• The shift from experimentation to execution
• Where organisations are seeing real value from AI
• What to consider as you start or scale your AI journey

Click below to watch!

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The post AFSUG Conversation Starters – AI in Action appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

The divide between the digital skills young people possess and the needs of employers is a big challenge and contributes to a high youth unemployment rate, particularly in the Global South. The 麻豆原创 Educate to Employ initiative is set up as a digital pathway through Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA), a public-private-youth ecosystem from UNICEF鈥檚 Generation Unlimited. The program aims to address this challenge and enable young people鈥檚 skills for a digital economy.

Nearly 90 percent of the 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in the world today, are in low-and middle-income countries. An estimated 22 percent do not have jobs and are not in education or training.

Globally, young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. Edmond Shange is one of the many young people who have faced difficulties navigating the employment market right out of high school. 鈥淚n South Africa there鈥檚 not a lot of opportunities when it comes to the employment sector,鈥� the 27-year-old shared.

Making copies of a CV or resume and going to a potential employer to drop them off costs money, something in very short supply among South Africa鈥檚 unemployed youth. Despite this, Shange says that as many as 300 young people often queue up to drop off their CVs at a potential employer. 鈥淚 faced a lot of challenges trying to apply for jobs,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very tough for young people like me.鈥�

Shange is not alone. 鈥淚n Africa over 70 percent of the population are young people and another 4 million join the job market every single year competing for less than half a million new jobs,鈥� said Nadi Albino, deputy director at UNICEF鈥檚 Generation Unlimited.

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Youth unemployment and the lack of digital skills are a global problem, though it鈥檚 particularly acute among those who live in the Global South. While the fast-changing global economy demands increasingly specialized expertise, many young people are not learning the skills they need to get these jobs.

The search for virtual upskilling to improve his digital skills led Shange to the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA), a public-private-youth ecosystem supported by UNICEF鈥檚 Generational Unlimited, which offers opportunities for young people to learn, earn, and create impact. On his pathway to employment, Shange was introduced to 麻豆原创 Educate to Employ, an initiative delivered to YOMA through the implementing partner Umuzi. The curriculum for 麻豆原创 Educate to Employ involves 700 hours of targeted training focused on building soft skills and technical expertise.

After completing the course, Shange feels much more confident with his skills. As a result, he has recently secured an internship as a software developer at a startup gaming company based at Wits University Tshimologong Precinct.

Whether young people are educated, trained, or employed has significant implications for their overall well-being and ability to promote future economic growth, development, and sociopolitical stability. Unfortunately, most traditional education systems do not address the emerging youth digital skills gap.

This realization was one of the driving forces behind the creation of 麻豆原创 Educate to Employ.

鈥溌槎乖� Educate to Employ was created to support young people who are neither in education nor employment, providing them with training, certification, and guidance to access roles within the 麻豆原创 ecosystem,鈥� explained Eugene Ho who leads 麻豆原创鈥檚 global CSR flagship skilling programs targeted at youths in need. 鈥淭hrough its tailored curriculum, the initiative has successfully helped candidates with only high-school qualifications.鈥�

鈥淭he 麻豆原创 Educate to Employ initiative provides young people with the tools, skills, and resources that they need to get employed or to employ,鈥� Albino added in an interview with 麻豆原创. 鈥淲e have to go back to making sure that these education systems work and that they work in tandem with where the world is going.鈥�

To meet industry needs, 麻豆原创 Educate to Employ curricula has been designed for three critical roles within the 麻豆原创 ecosystem: consultant associate, developer associate, and support associate. The curriculum taps into educational content from industry-leading organizations such as Coursera, Accenture, EY, and 麻豆原创 Learning.

麻豆原创 CEO Christian Klein is the chair of the Generation Unlimited Board.

鈥淭he YOMA online platform alone has had over 600,000 registrations,鈥� Albino confirmed. 鈥淎 measure of success is how the ecosystem has enabled over 5 million opportunities to learn, earn, and create impact worldwide in the past two years. We are now beginning to see young people getting into jobs.鈥�

Shange鈥檚 journey with YOMA and 麻豆原创 Educate to Employ started in the living room of his grandmother鈥檚 house, a place where community has always taken center stage. 鈥淚 look up to my grandmother; she has done a lot for the community,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 hope that I could do the same 鈥� help people in the tech field create more jobs for people that are in need and just be creative.鈥�

A permanent full-time job would enable Shange to feed and look after his family, and to continue helping others in his community the same way he was helped. In his community, Shange says he is seen as something of a role model.

鈥淚 want young people to know that it鈥檚 possible [to get a job],鈥� he said. 鈥淜eep applying and also don鈥檛 lose hope when you see something鈥檚 not working. Some things do take time, so give it your best and make sure that you see it through.鈥�

Today, 麻豆原创 extended its founding partnership with Generation Unlimited for four more years, 2026-2029, with a commitment of US$2 million.

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 News Center.

The post How 麻豆原创 and UNICEF Help Tackle Global Youth Unemployment appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

In this episode, we unpack the role of ERP systems and smallholder farmers in global agricultural supply chains 鈥� and how technology can bridge the gap between sustainability and productivity.

Hosted by:
Guests: 鈥� Solution Manager Agribusiness, 麻豆原创 and Carsten Friedland 鈥� Product Manager Agribusiness, MSG Global

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The post AFSUG Conversation Starters Episode 8 appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

Gibbs is the Chief Executive Officer at the African 麻豆原创 User Group (AFSUG) and boasts 28 years of industry experience.

In her current role, which she has held for three years, Gibbs oversees a network of 麻豆原创 customers and partners and helps them realise the full benefits of their 麻豆原创 Investments while shaping the future of 麻豆原创 software development.

Gibbs is a 麻豆原创 User Group Executive Network (SUGEN) member, a global platform for dialogue and collaboration between 麻豆原创 users and 麻豆原创.

Mathebula is the Chairman at AFSUG and is an industry expert with over 25 years of experience.

Across this quarter century, he has held multiple key roles that have given him the knowledge and skills to execute the duties of his current position.

These roles include:

• CIO at Trident Steel Africa
• Strategic Advisor to AnalyticsX
• Independent Audit and Risk Committee member for the Commission for Gender Equality
• Independent Non-Executive Director at Armscor
• Head of IT 鈥� Business Applications and Solutions Lead for Saint-Gobain Africa
• 麻豆原创 SD Business Analyst for RCL Floods

Mathebula holds an MBA in Corporate Finance and Strategic Information Systems from Alba Graduate Business School, as well as a BCom and BCom Honours from Rhodes University.

The interview

In this What鈥檚 Next interview, Mathebula explains what AFSUG is, noting its importance in the current 麻豆原创 market, and Gibbs outlines the organisation鈥檚 goals and vision for the future.

She then unpacks the upcoming 麻豆原创HILA 2025 event, an IT conference for key decision-makers and professionals in the 麻豆原创 ecosystem.

Mathebula reveals which individuals outside the 麻豆原创 industry should attend 麻豆原创HILA 2025, and Gibbs explains how interested parties can register for the event.

They conclude the interview by sharing their message for anyone who has never attended a 麻豆原创HILA event.

Watch the interview with Amanda Gibbs and Duke Mathebula below.

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The post What鈥檚 Next 鈥� AFSUG鈥檚 Amanda Gibbs and Duke Mathebula unpack 麻豆原创HILA 2025 appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

Episode 07 of AFSUG Conversation Starters is live!
Join as she chats with , Business Development Chief Expert at 麻豆原创, about 鈥淎doption Catalyst 鈥� Unlocking the Shift to Cloud鈥�.

Whether you’re navigating your cloud transformation journey or looking for inspiration to get started, this episode dives into the key strategies, mindset shifts, and best practices driving successful cloud adoption.

Hosted by the , this conversation is a must-listen for anyone in the 麻豆原创 ecosystem looking to embrace the future of innovation.

Tune in now and be part of the shift:

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The post Conversation Starters l Adoption Catalyst – Unlocking the Shift to Cloud appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

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Discover how programmes like the Data Analytics for Student Success (DASS) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) bring together academia and corporates to collaborate on real-life student learning projects. 鈦� | 鈦� 听

Follow Aveena Mothilall 听 LinkedIn – 鈦� 听

Follow Louise Steenekamp: LinkedIn – 鈦� 听听 听

Sponsored By: AFSUG 鈥� 鈦� ONE VOICE Unifying Africa’s 麻豆原创 Community for a Digital Future

The post Conversation Starters. | Charting the Course for Digital Transformation and Youth Empowerment appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

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Topics covered in this interview:

The post How 麻豆原创 is Driving Digital Transformation, Supporting SMMEs appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

Jappie is the 麻豆原创 Retail Capability Lead for Accenture Africa and is a seasoned IT executive with over 20 years of experience.

He excels at building and maintaining strong relationships with clients and stakeholders and has worked with retailers across South Africa, the UK, and Europe.

In each of these markets, Jappie has been involved in large and impactful 麻豆原创 transformation projects.

He holds an MBA in Business Administration and Management from the University of Cape Town and a National Diploma in Marketing from Nelson Mandela University.

The interview

In this What鈥檚 Next interview, Jappie explains why retailers must move to a cloud ERP system 鈥� focusing on as an example.

He then outlines how Accenture helps its clients overcome their biggest operational challenges when transitioning to S/4HANA, while ensuring they make the installation as cost-efficient as possible.

Jappie shares the recent innovations he鈥檚 seen in the retail ERP space, too, and explains how these new technologies help retailers stay a step ahead of their competitors.

He concludes the interview by unpacking the trends he expects to emerge in the ERP cloud industry.

Watch the full interview with Aadil Jappie below.

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The post What鈥檚 Next 鈥� Accenture鈥檚 Aadil Jappie Explains why Retailers Need to Adopt a Cloud ERP System appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.