If Africa is to continue on a path of positive economic growth, the continent will have to better capitalise on the potential of its youth, as more than half (55%) of Africa’s inhabitants will be younger than 24 by 2025 according to the UN’s The Demography of Population Ageing report.
For this to happen, African governments require forward-looking partnerships with private sector-focussed educational initiatives that provide cost-effective ways of providing the public with access to skills that will improve their chances of employability and make them much more productive within the workplace.
In the wake of a series of innovative projects aimed at promoting skills development on the continent, including an announcement last year about a skills development projects with NITDA and in alignment with SAP’s Skills for Africa programme, SAP Africa today announced its intention to launch the SAP Smart Academy in Nigeria this year. The Academy that will be situated at centres located in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt will enable a large number skilled tertiary-level students to further boost their labour-market relevance through specialised SAP technology skills training. A product of SAP Education Africa, the Academy courses have been designed to help students learn how to effectively leverage SAP technology solutions with a view to ultimately drive greater efficiencies within organisations and industries once they secure employment.
Students that are actively enrolled at a tertiary academic institution as well as graduates in the workplace wishing to develop their careers will be able take part in the Smart Academy training as the offering has been tailor-made to meet affordability-levels. For this reason, SAP customers are not eligible to participate. The 20-day long course will cover a range of popular SAP solutions ranging from SAP Financial Accounting and SAP Human Capital Management, to SAP Server Implementation & Operation or SAP ABAP Workbench.
In partnership with select local West-African partners, the SAP Smart Academy will teach students through a hybrid approach of live and on-line courses. All successful participants will be given a globally-recognised certification.
“For the youth of Nigeria, the benefits of this initiative lie in the fact that individuals who aspire to advance their careers can gain the skills to compete in the vibrant SAP market,” explained Pfungwa Serima, CEO SAP Africa. “Graduates of the SAP Smart Academy will become certified associate-level functional consultants who will be in a position to secure the competitive edge they require in applying for positions within SAP’s vast ecosystem,” said Serima. “SAP Africa again validates its commitment to deliver on its promise to upskill Africa’s talented youth and stimulate job creation. With approximately 10 million young African youth arriving on the labour market annually, obtaining additional skills that will make them more marketable within their environment is no longer negotiable; it is necessity.”
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