COVID-19: Impact on Nigeria’s workforce

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The issue of reskilling Africa&#8217;s workforce for the jobs of the future is a challenge with not so many practical solutions at the moment. CEO of Empower, and member of The Africa List, Miranda Naiman joins CNBC Africa for more.

Miranda Naiman assesses how Africa List is reshaping continent by reskilling its workforce

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Fitch Learning says HR Leaders they interviewed noted that change in the workforce demographic is the top critical factor in the need to take action. Andreas Karaiskos the CEO of Fitch Learning joins CNBC Africa for more.

Understanding the leadership DNA of the future

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Workforce is changing its structure to become a holding company of investments in the people services sector of the economy. Ronny Katz, CEO of Workforce joins CNBC Africa for more.

Workforce CEO Ronny Katz on earnings, SA’s economic outlook

By 2040, Africa is expected to have the largest workforce in the world, 40% of which will consist of young people.
Africa’s greatest resource and potentially its sharpest competitive advantage in the global economy is its young and growing workforce. Half of Africa’s population is under 25 years of age. By 2040, Africa is expected to have the largest workforce in the world, 40% of which will consist of young people.
But the economic growth the continent has enjoyed in recent years has not created enough opportunities for its young people to use their talents to earn sustainable livelihoods. Unless young people are given the chance to access the right education and training, or employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, Africa’s development potential will not be realised in full; and its young people may become a source of social and political instability.
Africa has 600 million young people, of which 72% are unemployed or vulnerably employed. Another 11 million youth are expected to enter the African labour market every year for the next decade, according to the Mastercard Foundation.
Representatives at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa have been set the challenge of finding ways of achieving inclusive growth, particularly for young people. There will, for example, be a panel discussion, “Leading for the Future”, that will focus on “How can the world’s youngest continent exploit this endowment to build a new generation of leaders capable of driving success in the Fourth Industrial Revolution?”
At Barclays Africa, we believe some of the answers lie in our philosophy of Shared Growth, a recognition that we must use our expertise and resources to find sustainable, commercially viable solutions to the challenges of inequality, poverty and unemployment. Shared Growth initiatives focus on education, enterprise development and financial inclusion.
We have chosen these three pillars because they are critical to human development. Young people need skills that enable them to secure their future; entrepreneurs need access to opportunity, skills training and capital in order to grow their businesses, create employment and grow the economy; and people need access to reliable and affordable financial services and products. These are areas where we can help improve lives and fulfil our principle of stewardship – leaving the communities where we operate better than when we found them.
We have set ourselves a specific objective of preparing young people across the continent with the requisite skills to be competitive in the workplace. Our ReadytoWork programme provides them with free education and training programmes, online and in workshops, with accredited institutions.
So far, the programme has been rolled out to nine countries and helped equip 205 366 young people with people, money management and entrepreneurial skills.
ReadytoWork seeks to address the challenges under discussion at the WEF meeting on Africa which include reinventing job-ready training, advancing digital fluency and other key skills, and reforming education and training systems. In addition to ReadytoWork, Barclays Africa is investing
R1.4bn in education over the next 3 years. Between 2016 and 2018 we will have provided over half a billion rand in university scholarships across all our markets, providing opportunities to thousands of deserving students.
While many of the key pieces are in place, government, business leaders and educators need to work together to set out a shared vision and the necessary policies and programmes to prepare African youth for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and ensure their competitive advantages become sustainable livelihoods. In its draft June 2016 strategy document, the African Capacity Building Foundation cites a study on the capacities needed to implement the African Union’s Agenda 2063 development plan, which says that Africa has a projected gap of as many as 4.3 million engineers and 1.6 million agricultural scientists and researchers. In most African countries, the gap between the actual number of professionals in critical technical areas and the minimum required number is as high as 70%.
Until there is a better match between the needs of the economy and young people’s skills, they will continue to struggle to find jobs. Enterprise Development is critical to employment creation and economic growth. It is therefore imperative to build a culture of entrepreneurship and to support the development of small businesses and their integration into the African market. Almost half the labour force in Africa is employed by small businesses. These businesses are especially important in low-income communities, where they provide informal work to those who lack the qualifications or experience to secure formal employment.
Small businesses also help diversify economies away from reliance on a single commodity, making them more resilient in the face of economic headwinds, and help broaden the national tax base.
Our Shared Growth enterprise development programmes not only offer entrepreneurs business support and training, but also access to markets, without which they cannot succeed.
As a financial institution we are in a unique position to connect small businesses with large corporates. We have created a portal that links 59 000 small and medium enterprises to 7 000 corporate buyers where last year over R30 billion worth of tenders was advertised. Last year we agreed to R1.38 billion worth of mandates for SMEs who are doing business with corporate partners and provided training to thousands of SMEs.
The last pillar of Shared Growth is providing access to financial services, an important means of facilitating economic activity. Technology has reduced the cost of providing banking services. New digital platforms are being designed for those who – until now – have not had access to formal financial services. Already we have a network of 10 013 ATM’s across the continent and are constantly expanding our network of branches and service points.
In its 2017 Inclusive Growth and Development Report, the WEF observes: “A coordinated global initiative is required to transform inclusive growth from aspiration into action – into a new global growth agenda that places people and living standards at the center of national economic policy and international economic integration.”
At Barclays Africa, we believe our Shared Growth philosophy goes a long way to achieving this. We look forward to continue collaborating with governments, our corporate partners, communities and other stakeholders to create more opportunities for inclusion and to grow the African economy.

Encouraging youth economic participation through Shared Growth

More diverse businesses perform better – it’s a fact. But building a diverse workforce in Africa is not just about ticking the gender and ethnic boxes – it’s about building synergy within diverse teams and cultivating diverse behaviour across the organisation.
Africa’s most sought-after employers are increasingly recognising that diversity is a key driver of performance, recent data has shown. Indeed, the business case for diversity is compelling with an increasing number of global studies, including recent research by McKinsey, demonstrating a clear link between greater diversity and better financial results.
Research conducted on HR policies, strategies and practices of Africa’s certified Top Employers reveals that the overwhelming majority of these companies follow recommended best practice guidelines for managing diversity. “This is crucial because managing diversity successfully is more than just ticking the boxes of ethnicity and gender,” says Billy Elliott, Country Manager: Africa for the Top Employers Institute.
“And when properly understood, diversity is not just black and white – it’s gold. It brings in more revenue, makes for happier customers, and ultimately builds more sustainable businesses.&#8221;
According to Elliott, organisations that want to reap the benefits of true diversity must go beyond scratching the surface. “Diversity is a theme companies need to embrace and integrate,” he explains. “It can’t be candy-coated. It’s about much more than what you look like.” A diverse workforce means diverse behaviour, says Elliott – which means employers must engage fully with making it work.
Based on data from the Top Employers Institute annual certification of HR best practice in Africa, Elliott says there are five key lessons in diversity management that can help to set companies apart:
<ul>
<li>Define and communicate your diversity programme </li>
</ul>
Eighty six per cent of Africa’s Top Employers have clearly defined and communicated an organisation-wide diversity programme. And 74% of Africa’s Top Employers ensure details of their diversity programme(s) are easily accessible via the intranet or handbooks.
For DHL Express, one of just 10 Global Top Employers and certified in 12 African countries, diversity is a core business imperative. The company relies on diverse teams for more creative problem solving. “We have a number of programmes that emphasise the need to continually develop a more diverse and inclusive workforce to help drive our business forward on the continent.” says Paul Clegg, Vice President Human Resources – Sub-Saharan Africa.
DHL Express has an unparalleled footprint in Africa, one of the most ethnically diverse continents in the world with 3000 distinct ethnic groups and 2000 languages. Elliott believes that Top Employers like DHL Express have a key role to play in facilitating diversity management in the workplace that can play in vital role in building social cohesion.
Legislation differs from country to country, but Clegg says irrespective of the minimum requirements, DHL Express, as a business, places great emphasis on employee engagement. Having motivated people is the first pillar of our global Focus strategy and being an Employer of Choice is 1 of our 3 bottom lines. This demonstrates how seriously we take employee engagement and development at a global level and on the ground in Sub Saharan Africa. We are fortunate to be the most international company in the world, which enables us to give our employees the very best learning and development opportunities. Our diverse network, which spans across 220 countries and territories, provides the opportunity for employees to learn and share experiences in different markets. The value of cross-country, on-the-job learning is immense.
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">Invest in diversity training</li>
</ul>
Eighty one per cent of Africa’s Top Employers have trained specific employee groups regarding relevant diversity practices to enable them to build an engaged workforce through authentic and inclusive employee engagement. According to the Global Human Capital Trends report 2015 from Deloitte University, employee engagement is a priority both for HR and for the business and plays a critical role in business performance.
According to Linda Ronnie, Senior Lecturer in HR at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business (GSB), employee engagement can provide explicit recognition of personhood which is key to success especially in African organisations where there are diverse cultural and personal needs in play and mutual understanding in the workplace cannot be taken for granted.
A central part of overcoming barriers within a large and diverse workforce such as DHL Express’ is getting everyone on the same page from the start, says Clegg. We have a global cultural change program called Certified International Specialist (CIS), which revolves around four attributes: Speed, Can-Do Attitude, Right First Time and Passion. Everyone from the Global CEO to our couriers have gone through this training programme which reinforces our core competencies. It’s a fully inclusive program which cuts across all diversity indicators and levels of occupation and we consider it to be an important driver of employee engagement and retention, and ultimately business performance.
<ul>
<li>Measure the results of your diversity programme</li>
</ul>
Around 70% of Africa’s Top Employers evaluate the impact and effectiveness of their diversity programme regularly.
According to Clegg, participation in the Top Employers Certification Programme is a crucial part of this measurement process. “The Top Employers Institute looks at how we are doing along a number of key metrics. This year, we are aiming to achieve certification in more countries across Sub Saharan Africa than before. A key Top Employer Institute benchmark is driving diversity in all areas.”
DHL Express and other Top Employers in Africa understand that what you measure is what you manage. And they are not alone. In the past few years tech giant Google has gone big on diversity investing $150 million into its own diversity programmes in 2015 alone and also setting up a dedicated diversity-related <a href="https://www.google.com/diversity/">page</a> designed to make its diversity statistics more public – and triggering other silicon valley companies to do the same.
In an interview with USA Today Nancy Lee, Google&#8217;s vice president of people operations, explained that the move was not about altruism. Google wants to secure its own future by establishing itself as a leader in diversity. &#8220;The tech industry really understands that the future of our industry means we have to be more inclusive,&#8221; Lee says. &#8220;We are literally building products for the world. It can&#8217;t be this homogeneous.&#8221;
<ul>
<li>Employ people from disadvantaged backgrounds</li>
</ul>
An impressive 80% of Africa’s Top Employers employ people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The latter refers to groups that do not have optimal chances in the labour market because of their socio-economic situation.
For global beverage company Pernod Ricard, which also has a strong footprint in Africa, current efforts are targeted specifically at increasing diversity at middle and senior management levels. “More than 75% of our external hires are equity hires, in line with our aim to reflect the demographic of the economically active population,” says Andre Muller, Head of Human Resources. “A major challenge in any organisation is getting people at all levels to buy into the concept of diversity and to live it on a day-to-day basis. As to what levels of success we have achieved, we believe this is an ongoing process.  We have set clear objectives and track and monitor our progress in key elements of diversity. Our employee turnover is low (around 6% per year) so we are doing some things right,” he says.
<ul>
<li>Education and age are diversity too </li>
</ul>
Just under 40% of Africa’s Top Employers ensure that they monitor and manage the differences in employees’ educational backgrounds. “Creating departments or teams with different educational backgrounds ensures a more diverse way of thinking,” says Elliott. “Employees can approach challenges with different perspectives.”
“A more uniform workforce has a more uniform and a less creative problem solving perspective,” agrees DHL’s Clegg.
Furthermore, says Elliott, over a quarter of African Top Employers have programmes in place to attract, engage and retain older people and 87% of them set out also to employ younger staff, driving greater age diversity.
This too is part of a global trend. A recent study by <a href="http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/Aboutus/Newsroom/news_pages/Bridging_The_Generation_Gap_Is_The_Key_To_A_Happier_Workforce.html">McDonald’s</a>, for example, found that age diversity made for a happier and more productive workforce. Employees reported that they were up to 10% happier working in a multi-generational environment and that this also resulted in improved customer satisfaction.
“The power of diversity in all its facets is a tremendous business advantage,” concludes Elliott. “It’s something we see gaining momentum in Top Employers across the continent. I believe that the Africa’s history and context has made employers here that much more attuned to the power and possibility of diversity.”

workforce

COVID-19: Impact on Nigeria’s workforce

Miranda Naiman assesses how Africa List is reshaping continent by reskilling its workforce

Understanding the leadership DNA of the future

Workforce CEO Ronny Katz on earnings, SA’s economic outlook

Encouraging youth economic participation through Shared Growth

Lessons on why diversity isn’t black and white – it’s gold

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workforce

COVID-19: Impact on Nigeria’s workforce

Miranda Naiman assesses how Africa List is reshaping continent by reskilling its workforce

Understanding the leadership DNA of the future

Workforce CEO Ronny Katz on earnings, SA’s economic outlook

Encouraging youth economic participation through Shared Growth

Lessons on why diversity isn’t black and white – it’s gold

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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