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and service models as cloud
adoption increases.
What are the region-
specific challenges
when implementing
new technologies
in Africa?
things you could have done to make your
journey easier and for me, it would probably
be being more patient.
What do you currently identify as
the major areas of investment in
your industry?
I think that customers are spending huge
amounts of money on infrastructure only to
realise that perhaps there were other options
that should have been explored to give them
the flexibility and scalability they need. As a
result, businesses are moving towards software
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INTELLIGENTCIO
Like many regions, there
remains a huge lack of skills
in Africa and much work is
needed in this area as this
shortage hampers business
competitiveness and puts
businesses under additional
pressure to attract talent from what is
already considered a small pool.
Therefore, it is essential that organisations
look towards skills development – focusing at
grass root level. Creating opportunities where
they invest in training qualified candidates to
meet the demands organisations are faced
with currently.
Such programmes need to be a platform
to upskill the future generation with ‘real-
world knowledge’ and an opportunity to
increase their worth and productivity in the
eyes of an employer.
In fact, these programmes need to go
beyond just providing graduates with the
necessary skills, but it should pair companies
with the right talent for their needs – be
it cloud technologies, web technologies,
open source, networking technologies or
security to harnesses much-needed skill in
the interest of the industry of a whole – and
this is exactly what the SUSE graduate
programme does.
What advice would you offer
somebody aspiring to obtain a
C-level position in your industry?
Starting from the bottom is always valuable,
you get to learn the skills and the knowledge
from the ground up.
This will also help you build a solid
foundation of unmatched skills.
Additionally, be sure to invest time in a mentor
that can offer you guidance along the way
and of course, remember it takes hard work, so
roll up your sleeves and get stuck in. n
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