International Business Machine says it is pursuing new IT knowledge-building initiatives that will enable Africa’s workforce to develop new analytics, cloud and data skills to foster economic growth on the continet.
Using its new delivery models such as SaaS, the US technology giant says that African economies can leapfrog.
IBM says it has identified some challenges faced by some African country stemming from lack of key infrastructure, keeping pace with rapid urbanization and other factors as impediments to developing a cohesive technology base across Africa.
Takreem El Tohamy, General Manager IBM Middle East and Africa said “Leaders in business, education and government agree that enabling the existing and future workforce to perform at the cutting edge of technology trends such as big data, analytics and cloud computing is key to Africa’s growth. This type of investment will help boost regional economic development across Africa and drive industrial innovation for the global economy.”
The SaaS portfolio will help expands the technical talent base in Africa by offering training and academic skills certification on leading edge technology solutions such as Big Data, cloud computing and mobile services, the company says.