Talent is once again in the spotlight as African businesses continue their digital transformation initiatives, which have been accelerated by the pandemic.
According to World Bank data, by the end of the decade, more than 230 million jobs in Africa will require digital skills, and a recent IFC report found that demand for digital skills will grow faster in Africa than in other global markets.
A partnership between one of Nigeria’s largest oil and gas exploration and production companies and SAP’s Young Professionals Program is producing a steady supply of work-ready digital skills that can support vital digital transformation efforts in the country’s highly competitive oil and gas sector.
SDPC’s ERP Product Manager, Adeolu Okanlawon, says, “As a company, we are deeply committed to sustainable development and actively support development within our communities. Our Young Professionals Program partnership with SAP adds to our long-term development strategy and helps us achieve our corporate goal of developing local capabilities for the oil and gas sector and beyond.”
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) is the country’s petroleum industry’s pioneer and leader. It has the largest land area in the country and produces about 39% of the country’s oil.
“We learned about the initiative through our active cooperation with SAP, which plays a critical role in delivering the technical support required for our business to function smoothly,” Okanlawon explains.
“Since 2018, twenty Young Professionals Program graduates have been offered industrial placement in Shell companies in Nigeria to support our digital transformation activities and drive the attainment of intelligent enterprise capabilities,” says the company.
The SAP Young Professionals Program is a two-to-three-month enablement program that teaches technical and functional knowledge of key SAP technologies to recent university graduates. The program includes training to help graduates develop soft skills that will make it easier for them to integrate into their new jobs. Successful candidates graduate as SAP Associate Consultants and are assigned to key SAP partner and customer businesses, where they can make an immediate positive impact.
