Dakar, Senegal, 20 Mar 2013
SAP today reaffirmed its commitment to Senegal, applauding the country's superior ICT (information and communications technologies) skills that offer a significant pool of talent that could serve the entire region. The market leader in enterprise application software has committed itself to support further skills development in the country by leveraging its business transformation expertise.
With anticipated economic growth of 6% expected across Africa, as well as a combined African GDP projected to hit $2.6 trillion by 2020, foreign investment is flooding into African areas that were previously disregarded by international investors. If African nations want to capitalise on these growth indicators, it is imperative they harness the power of technology to facilitate and enable this level of expansion.
Key to enabling growth is education. With around 90 000 well-educated students produced from tertiary institutions in Senegal, the country produces students with enviable ICT skills. SAP recognises the potential this future workforce could represent, not only for Senegal, but the entire region where such skills are in high demand.
Globally, SAP already delivers comprehensive, integrated solutions for service delivery in higher education. Currently, there are over 3 800 education and research institutions that have successfully run SAP software, reaching over seven million students worldwide.
"After emerging Asia, Africa is the fastest-growing region in the world at the moment," said Pfungwa Serima, CEO of SAP Africa. "Harnessing technology to overcome the many challenges Africa faces could effectively allow the continent to leapfrog ahead of its international counterparts in some respects. Senegal is rapidly becoming an innovation hub in West Africa and the wealth of superior technology skills presents a tremendous opportunity for development."
Talking about SAP's global support of education, Serima added: "The private sector plays a vital role in creating a level playing field; one that builds an environment that embraces education, technology and innovation. This will encourage citizens to take an active part in developing vibrant communities that focus on the value of economic growth, job creation and innovation."
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