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Are We Facing A Global Skills Crisis?
Sourced from TTEC.com The World Economic Forum believes that business across the globe could be facing a reskilling emergency. According to them by 2022, 42% of core skills required to perform existing jobs are going to change. Technology skills, for example, will be in high demand, making it one of the driving forces behind job transformation. Ntombi Mphokane, e4’s HR and Transformation Executive, says that while business is under pressure to evolve, the people need to be nurtured, developed and grown accordingly. “It is clear that all workforces are under pressure as almost everything is changing. We are squarely in what the United Nations calls the “decade of delivery”, and while it is forcing a focus on sustainable and responsible growth, it is also placing significant pressure on...
Why Real-time Analytics are Crucial to Online Retail
In the digital age, data is a currency all on its own. The retail sector has lagged in leveraging the value of real-time data, due to a number of factors. However, given the current economic climate, they can no longer afford the luxury of remaining in the dark. The power of data is revealed through near real-time analytics, and it can deliver incredible benefits for the retail sector. Harnessing the power of daily sales and stock on hand data is the missing link in enabling Just in Time (JIT) manufacturing – the panacea where manufacturers produce just the right number of goods that are delivered at the right time to the right place to find their way into the hands of the right consumers. Visibility is the key The daily sales and stock data in retail hold a powerful repository of informat...
How Businesses Can Think Human and Place People at Centre of IT Decisions
Sourced from TTEC.com Organisations are placing business and shareholder goals above employee needs when adopting new technologies, according to a new study from Lenovo. The research, conducted among 1,000 IT managers across EMEA, found that just 6% of IT managers consider users as their top priority when making technology investments. Lenovo believes that this approach to IT adoption is ultimately leading to productivity being stifled. When businesses implement new technologies without considering the human impact, many employees become overwhelmed due to the complexity and pace of change, with 47% of IT managers reporting that users struggle to embrace new software. With all industries having to adapt to the ‘next normal’ and take stock of their responsibility – to employees, to the envi...
INTERVIEW: Skynamo Founder on Choosing a Career in Technology
In 2013, Sam Clarke – founder and CEO of local startup, Skynamo – decided he wanted to solve a problem that had been getting in the way of business for decades. A few years later, in 2020, Skynamo went on to secure $30 million in US funding and is now putting it to good use – starting with an app that supports & protects sales field agents in the fight against COVID19. ITNA’s Jenna Delport had the opportunity to chat to Clarke, here’s what transpired: What first made you think of a career in technology?I have been a tinkerer my whole life. From a very young age, I would take things apart to see how they work – often even getting to put them back together again. I started teaching myself to write software when I was 12 years old. I wrote a few programs for friends while at high school, ...
Police quiz D’banj over rape allegation
The Nigeria Police Force has quizzed Musician, Dapo Oyebanjo, aka D’Banj, over allegations of rape, according to a report. It was learnt that D’Banj was grilled by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Adaku Anya, at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Garki, Abuja. A statement was also taken from the Kokomaster who insisted that he never raped his accuser, Seyitan Babatayo. A top police source said, “D’Banj has been questioned twice at the FCID, Abuja. He was questioned last week and also this week. We will leave no stone unturned as we investigate the matter.” It was learnt that Seyitan was also invited to write a statement but she stated that she had no means of travelling to Abuja and opted to visit a police unit in Lagos. “Seyitan appealed with us that she had no means of trav...
How Rwanda is Encouraging an Entire Generation of Women in Tech
Sourced from Women in Tech Africa. In 2020, Rwanda was the only African country ranked in the top 10 of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report. It ranked in the top four in the Report’s political empowerment category, in recognition of the high proportion of Rwandese women lawmakers and ministers. Rwanda, therefore, seemed a natural fit for a 2018 pilot programme of the African Development Bank’s Coding for Employment initiative, with Nigeria, Kenya, the Ivory Coast and Senegal. The Coding for Employment flagship programme is establishing 130 ICT centres for excellence in Africa, training 234,000 youths for employability and entrepreneurship to create over 9 million jobs. Hendrina C. Doroba, Manager in the Education, Human Capital and Employment Division at the Bank, explains ...
Saudi coalition shoots down Houthi ballistic missiles and drones
The Saudi-led military coalition said on Tuesday it intercepted and destroyed drones and missiles launched against the kingdom by Houthi rebels in Yemen, including one fired towards the capital Riyadh. The Iran-aligned Houthis said they would announce details of a “major attack” on Saudi Arabia on their Al Masirah TV, amid ongoing fighting in Yemen where the rebels took control of the northern province of Al-Jawf earlier this year. “The joint coalition forces managed … to intercept and destroy a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia from Sanaa towards Riyadh in a deliberate hostile operation,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said on state media. The Saudi military said it also brought down “eight booby-trapped unmanned aircraft to target civilian objects and civili...
Tourism Suffers as COVID-19 Restrictions Throttle Safari Industry
Sourced from And Beyond. SafariBookings.com, an online marketplace for African safari tours, recently ran its fourth monthly survey among 308 safari tour operators. The survey’s aim was to acquire a detailed understanding of the impact in the safari industry from the downturn in travel associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The results were in line with the previous three surveys – an overwhelming number of tour operators are suffering from a decline in bookings of at least 75%. A terrible figure for an industry in which so many people rely on in East and Southern Africa. As one operator from Tanzania says, “We have not received any bookings from potential clients since the COVID-19 spread worldwide.” And it’s a similar story in neighbouring Kenya, “At the moment customers are not willi...
Investment in Digital Transformation is Expected to Reach $7.4 trillion by 2023, says Report
As organizations look to transform their business operations and revolutionize customer service, Digital Transformation (DX) is at the top of most CXOs’ agendas; in fact, DX spending is expected to approach $7.4 trillion between 2020 and 2023, a CAGR of 17.5%. However, according to the latest industry data released today from Veeam Software, almost half of global organizations are being hindered in their DX journeys due to unreliable, legacy technologies with 44% citing lack of IT skills or expertise as another barrier to success. Moreover, almost every company admitted to experiencing downtime, with 1 out of every 10 servers having unexpected outages each year — problems that last for hours and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars – and this points to an urgent need to moderniz...
How music legend Majek Fashek passed on
Legendary reggae artiste, Majekodunmi Fasheke, aka Majek Fashek is dead. The artiste died in a New York hospital after a protracted illness on Monday about 5:45pm. He was aged 71. His manager, Uzoma Omenka, confirmed this in a video uploaded on the late singer’s Instagram handle. “Yes, it is true that the legend has gone to be with the Lord. But this time I want to say we should all celebrate him, his achievements. He has done a lot for Nigeria and for Africa. Whatever the family decides, I will get it to you. This is all I have to say for now.” He said. Fashek, who battled a mysterious protracted illness had been down since 2019 and was at a time on admission at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich in England . Fashek was born in Benin-City, Edo state to an Ijesha father and a Benin mot...
Coroner reveals what killed Twilight actor, Nigerian girlfriend
A coroner has revealed that an overdose of cocaine killed Twilight actor Boyce Gregory and his Nigerian girlfriend, Natalie Adepoju. The 30-year-old actor was found dead at his Las Vegas home alongside his girlfriend Natalie Adepoju on May 13. They were reportedly found by the actor’s cousin, who was also staying in the home at the time. After arriving at the scene, officers are said to have found a white ‘powdery substance’ inside the room. According to Clark County coroner, John Fudenberg, the duo died from an ”accidental” overdose of cocaine and fentanyl intoxication. Meanwhile, the couple left behind Gregory’s 10-year-old daughter, Alaya, and Natalie’s son, Egypt. Gregory was best known for his role as Tyler Crowley in the Twilight series, one of Bella Swan’s (Kristen Stewart) high sch...
FreshStop Thanks Frontline Employees with New Digital Campaign
Retail employees, who prior to the health pandemic were assets to the business, have become invaluable as they continued to serve customers throughout lockdown while most people stayed home. To thank them for their service and heroism, FreshStop – one of South Africa’s largest convenience store brands – has launched a #ThankYoufromFreshStop digital campaign to recognise their staff and reflect their appreciation. According to Joe Boyle, Director at FreshStop, their people have become their heroes. “Our teams have managed to get to work under extreme conditions, keep our stores well stocked and tidy, focus on health and hygiene standards and provide top-class customer service with a smile. The campaign reflects our thanks to all our staff – from the cashiers, kitchen staff, manager and clea...
