BUSINESS & ECONOMY
SAP Graduates Ready-To-Support Digital Transformation In Southern Africa
With the graduation of the newest cohort of SAP Young Professionals Program candidates, organisations in Southern Africa have received a welcome boost to their digital transformation initiatives.
According to Tracy Bolton, Chief Operating Officer at SAP Africa, the added talent capacity comes at an important time for the region. “Ongoing economic uncertainty, inflationary pressures, and the impact of new technologies like Generative AI pose challenges for organisations looking to unlock growth and drive innovation.” Organisations gain access to work-ready cloud and technology capabilities with this latest cohort of applicants, who may help their digital transformation efforts.”
Organisations in Southern Africa face numerous hurdles to their growth. Economic growth in the region was 2.7% in 2022, significantly below the global average of 3.4% and Africa’s average of 3.8%.
Business leaders are also attempting to accomplish sustainability goals while dealing with the impact of disruptive technologies, such as the introduction of Generative AI and its application in a wide range of business situations.
However, organisations’ efforts to employ technology to support their response to difficulties are impeded by a widespread tech skills shortage. According to SAP’s skills research, nearly eight out of ten (78%) organisations in the region stated a shortage of tech skills had harmed them in the previous twelve months, with the most common impacts being a lack of creativity, delays in project completion, and client loss to competitors.
The SAP Young Professionals Program, offered by the Digital Skills Center of SAP, is aimed at enabling young talent to utilise the latest SAP technology and innovation. The program covers software functional and technical knowledge and certification, with a strong focus on the latest technologies and a range of soft skills to ease entry into the workplace.
This latest cohort received training on SAP S/4HANA Cloud (public edition), SAP’s flagship enterprise resource planning solution, as well as SAP Activate and SAP Business Process Integration. In addition, graduates developed a broad range of soft skills, including design thinking, interpersonal skills, interview skills, and business model innovation methodology.
Candidates took part in training between early July and end-August and were chosen from a pool of candidates in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The full program took place virtually, allowing a broader range of candidates to take part.
Letlolo Baloyi, who is one of the graduates in this latest group, says: “The SAP Young Professionals Program has been nothing short of a catalyst for my personal and professional growth. Through a meticulously crafted blend of immersive learning experiences, mentorship, and hands-on projects, the program has equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of SAP’s inno However; organisations’ efforts to employ technology to support their response to difficulties are impeded by a widespread tech skills shortage.
According to SAP’s skills research, nearly eight out of ten (78%) organisations in the region stated a shortage of tech skills had harmed them in the previous twelve months, with the most common impacts being a lack of creativity, delays in project completion, and client loss to competitive technologies and their real-world applications.”
Since its launch in 2012, the SAP Young Professionals Program has trained and graduated more than 4100 candidates across 41 countries, including over 1900 in Africa alone.
Bolton adds: “The program is aimed at supporting our customers and partners in the region by ensuring they have access to essential skills needed to benefit from their investment into technology, and forms part of our broader global commitment to promoting education and entrepreneurship. We wish the graduates well and look forward to the positive impact they will make at their new workplaces.”
Instagram has announced new and improved editing tools to help creators and users better express their creativity on the app. The new tools include several improvements to reels and exciting new updates for feed photos, carousels, and stories, that make it easier to create directly within the Instagram app.
For reels, enhanced video editing tools help users express creativity and tell the story they want to, all within the app. In the feed, new filters for photos and carousels will explore different tones and moods for posts. In addition to the editing tools, Instagram has also built new tools to help creators better understand their performance.
The full suite of updates includes:
Reel editing updates: We’re rolling out new fonts to level up text on reels, and updating editing individual clips with the ability to zoom/crop/rotate; undo and redo edits; and 10 new text-to-speech voices.
Audio updates: On reels, we’re launching the ability to add clips with audio from movies, TV shows,s or your own created audio to your reels from our new media clip hub.
New feed photo filters: We’re launching brand-new photo filters for feed posts and carousels.
Performance insights for creators: understand your Reels performance with a new metric, Reels Replays.
Custom Stickers: make your Reels or Stories stand out by turning part of any photo or video.
Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential flag bearer in the country’s last general election, has once again yelled at the level of waste in the APC administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Obi, who had just blasted the government for sending over 1400 delegates to COP28 as wasteful, has now slammed the administration for proposing over N20 billion in refurbishment and construction of a new office space for the Vice President.
The LP standard bearer said he is still studying the N27.5 trillion budget presented to the National Assembly last week, but could not wait to wonder at the level of waste on nonessential things when the people are suffering and dropping into multi-dimensional poverty in droves.
Reacting in his X handle on Monday Obi said “Even as I am still studying the 2024 fiscal budget as presented to the National Assembly last week, I cannot wait as am compelled to ask what is exactly wrong with us as a country.
‘I ask this question because it is hard for me to understand some of the recent happenings in our nation, in these critical times.
‘The recent news about a budget provision of N15 billion for the construction of a new residence for the Vice President is both shocking and disheartening, considering the many important challenges facing our nation.
Obi recalled that “Just recently in the Supplementary Budget, the sum of N2.5 billion was included for the renovation of the Vice President’s residence in Abuja, which means that he already has a residence. Again, during the budget presentation, I heard the sum of N3 billion was allocated for the renovation of the Vice President’s residence in Lagos. If we total all these sums, we would have budgeted the sum of N20.5 billion for the housing of the Vice President at this critical time when we are not just the world’s poverty capital, but more people falling into poverty, with so many Nigerians not knowing where their next meal will come from”
“Our health facilities have collapsed, and unemployment is skyrocketing. I am convinced that 99.9% of Nigerians can only dream of living in the current residence of the Vice President.
The LP standard bearer also noted that ‘ Several people employed in the universities are not being paid. Just to give an example, the salary of a professor in a Nigerian university is about N400,000, which without removing tax is about N5 million a year. What we have budgeted for the housing of the Vice President who is already luxuriously housed is, therefore, the annual salary of about 3000 professors!
“This is the finance needed to develop the much-needed human capital.
“The budget of N5 billion for student loans, which is yet to be disbursed is only a tiny percentage of the cost of the Vice President’s new home.
According to the former Anambra state Governor, “We are projecting to use four times the amount for educating ALL Nigerian indigent students to house the Vice President, and we are being told there is nothing wrong with us”
“I am sure the major teaching hospitals in Nsukka, Lagos, Ibadan, and Zaria did not receive this much capital vote in the budget this year.
“We have had leaders that were exemplary in the past. Most Nigerians may not know that the popular 1004 flats in Lagos, was land allocated for the building of a Presidential Mansion for the then Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed but he “sternly turned down the offer and instructed that the land should be used to build blocks of flats for civil servants. That is the kind of sacrificial leadership worth emulating.
“Our leaders must therefore stop the recklessness and insensitivity to the plight of the masses. We need leaders who show compassion and are willing to sacrifice for common progress and development. Such compassionate and frugal leaders are critical in our journey to the New Nigeria”
DCSL Corporate Services Limited, a leading corporate service firm is set to celebrate a decade of professional excellence and launch an innovative boardroom app – “The DCSL e-Connect App” on Friday 8th December 2023.
Bisi Adeyemi, Managing Director of DCSL, reflected on the significant milestones achieved in the past decade and reiterated the Company’s commitment to delivering unparalleled professional services across its bouquet of offerings to diverse sectors of the economy.
“Our ten-year journey has been propelled by an unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional professional service to a diverse range of corporate and individual clients across various business sectors.
“The introduction of the DCSL eConnect app marks a pivotal moment, as we embark on a new era of transformative possibilities, reinforcing our dedication to innovation and precision in communication and collaboration within the boardroom.
“This celebration marks not only a milestone in our journey but also a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation in the corporate services landscape”.
The DCSL eConnect App is designed to elevate boardroom communication, and collaboration and redefine efficiency. The innovative App will empower Boards and c-suite executives to efficiently manage meetings, streamline access to and retrieval of documents, facilitate approvals, and conduct polls and performance evaluations, all while ensuring compliance and tracking company plans.
The exclusive event will be graced by key stakeholders, clients, business leaders, and media partners.
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