The opening of the BPO Academy at the College of Cape Town.
Today, 6 November 2020, saw the official opening of the BPO Academy at the College of Cape Town, Gardens Campus which will not only provide opportunities for young people to gain the necessary skills to graduate into an exciting career in the BPO sector, but importantly also ensures a talent pipeline for a fast-growing sector that is contributing significantly to job creation in Cape Town and the Western Cape.
The BPO Academy is also the first of its kind, in that it is a unique example of a learning and skills development initiative made possible through a partnership between both government and the private sector.
The initiative for the BPO Academy started with engagements between the Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the BPO sector which highlighted an increasing need for high quality BPO skills that would fulfill the demand of a fast-growing sector in Western Cape.
However, it is only as a result of a successful and committed partnership between government and private stakeholders that the opening of the BPO Academy today has been fully realised. These stakeholders include the Western Cape Government, City of Cape Town, Cape BPO and the public Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college, College of Cape Town.
It is this partnership that has resulted in close collaboration on the design of the curriculum offered at the BPO Academy to ensure graduates are workplace ready and have the relevant, high-quality skills that are endorsed by the Service SETA and required by the fast-growing BPO sector.
Initially focusing on voice skills, the curriculum at the BPO Academy will expand along the full BPO value chain of skills requirements including ICT, finance and accounting and other middle and back-office capabilities, offering young graduates that next step into a career in the BPO sector.
Welcoming guests to the event, CEO of the College of Cape Town, Louis van Niekerk, said: “The launch of the BPO Academy at the College of Cape Town Gardens campus is an important milestone for the college which seeks to improve responsiveness to industry workforce needs. We are very privileged to be a part of this, and grateful for the opportunity to add value to the BPO sector and create jobs, while growing the College of Cape Town.”
Confirming the City of Cape Town’s support for the BPO sector, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos, said, “The City of Cape Town will be contributing R55-million over the next three years for jobs training and placement in call centre companies, which has led to the launch of the BPO academy today. I am happy to have worked closely with the Western Cape Government, Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the NSF to ensure this project was approved by full council. That is why we fund CapeBPO, as a Strategic Business Partner (SBP), to grow the industry. I am immensely proud that this partnership has resulted in the addition of 2 633 additional jobs in the last three months alone, despite the Covid-19 lockdown measures.”
The BPO sector has been a great example of resilience and adaption, and despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic has continued to contribute to job creation and economic growth in Cape Town and the Western Cape.
In fact, this year 5,000 additional jobs have been created in the BPO sector in Cape Town.
Commenting on the contribution of the BPO sector to job creation and the economy in the Western Cape, Western Cape Minister for Finance and Economic Opportunities, Minister David Maynier, said, “The BPO sector is an island of hope as it is one of only two sectors that created jobs in the Western Cape this year, and it plays an important role in creating opportunities for people and giving hope to people, especially young people, in Cape Town and the Western Cape. Which is why the BPO sector is one of the key sectors that we are showcasing as we present a common message to the world: that both Cape Town and the Western Cape province are open for business. I have no doubt that our investment in this sector will continue to pay dividends for years to come.”
The launch of the BPO Academy and the investments made over the medium-term are a clear indication of the support by both government and the private sector for the BPO sector which continues to play a significant role in job creation and economic growth in Cape Town and the Western Cape.
Thanking all the stakeholders involved, CEO of CapeBPO, Gareth Pritchard, said: “The launch of the BPO Academy today is the culmination of 10 years of hard work to establish a vibrant BPO sector in the Cape. The academy will not only accelerate the growth of talent to support the sector, it will also accelerate the interest of overseas investors considering bringing their business to our shores. What differentiates the Cape is the unique public/private sector partnerships which enables initiatives like this to be implemented.”
A unique guide to business and investment in Limpopo Province
The 2020/21 edition of Limpopo Business is the 12th issue of this essential publication that, since its launch in 2007, has established itself as the premier business and investment guide for the Limpopo Province.
Limpopo has been attracting significant investments in the mining sector in recent years and the green light for the creation of the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone in the province’s far north has attracted several billion dollars. A metallurgical and energy cluster will inaugurate the SEZ, after which investments in agri-processing, logistics and manufacturing are expected to follow.
In addition to the regular articles providing insight into each of the key economic sectors of the province, there are special features on transport and logistics,and specific plans that are in place to promote manufacturing in Limpopo.
News related to mining, agriculture, tourism, construction and property, water, education and development finance is carried in overviews of the main economic sectors.
A unique guide to business and investment in North West Province
The 2020/21 edition of North West Business marks the 10th publication of this essential publication that, since its launch in 2009, has established itself as the premier business and investment guide for the North West Province.
North West Business includes news and analysis of the most important sectors, with a regional overview covering the strategic thinking behind plans to attract investment into the province.
Best known for its platinum mines, grain and livestock farming and tourism, the province is making a concerted effort to bolster its manufacturing capacity.
Corridor development, agri-parks and the creation of a Special Economic Zone are among the economic stimulus plans covered in this edition.
A unique guide to business and investment in Mpumalanga Province
The 2020/21 edition of Mpumalanga Business is the 11th issue of this essential publication that since its launch in 2008 has established itself as the premier business and investment guide for the province.
Updated overviews of each of the key economic sectors of the province are included, with references to the latest investments by companies across multiple sectors.
These include Sappi, Sasol and Sonae Arauco, which is expanding its White River factory. Afrimat is considering investment in the mining sector, while Exxaro Resources, South32 and Pan African Resources are among the mining companies spending on extending the life of existing mines.
A useful article on what incentives are available to investors from various departments and agencies is provided. Mpumalanga has several investment and business opportunities in a wide range of sectors.
The new brand which positions Cape Town as “Africa’s Tech Capital” affirms the Western Cape’s status as leader of the African tech ecosystem thanks to the many tech and digital businesses based primarily in Cape Town and the Stellenbosch region. In addition it seeks to clearly represent the values, skills, talent, innovation and lifestyle offered by the tech ecosystem of Cape Town and the Western Cape.
More specifically, the tech ecosystem in the province offers:
A diverse community of companies across the technology supply chain;
A strong presence of supporting institutions that provide for ease of business;
Over 22 active incubators and accelerators in the region which play a vital role in providing business and tech support, mentoring and networking opportunities, and links to markets and funders;
More than 25 co-working spaces where innovation and creativity are fostered;
A skilled workforce, affordable operational and residential costs, excellent IT infrastructure and a great lifestyle;
Four leading higher educational institutions, namely the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, CPUT and the University of the Western Cape, as well as six TVETs in the province that contribute to the skills base.
The tech sector has also played an important role in helping businesses pivot and adapt during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many rapidly transitioning to new ways of working and a significant amount of the workforce working from home. This has resulted in a rapid adoption of digital technologies, which only strengthens our offering to international investors.
The digital economy is one of the Western Cape’s competitive advantages, attracting investment into the province, growing our outward trade through the export of our digital products and capabilities, enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of local companies through the uptake and adoption of digital technologies, and also providing tech career opportunities among young people.
Revealing the new brand logo to attendees at the launch event today, Premier Alan Winde said: “We are excited to proudly declare Cape Town and the Western Cape as ‘Africa’s Tech Capital’. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us just how important this new digital economy is and it bodes well for our province’s recovery plan that we are the leading in this space. I want to thank our Department of Economic Development and Tourism for their hard-work on this pioneering project. And I also want to thank all those innovative start-ups for your role in developing our amazing tech ecosystem.”
Premier Alan Winde at the launch event for the new brand positioning.
The initiative started with the Digital Economy unit at the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, however the final product launched today is as a result of the hard work and collaboration between the Western Cape Government, City of Cape Town, Wesgro, and major tech eco-system enablers including: CiTi, Silicon Cape, LaunchLab and Startup Bootcamp.
Welcoming the launch of the new brand positioning, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier said, “The launch of this new brand couldn’t happen at a better time as we re-open our economy and begin rebuilding so we can save jobs in the Western Cape. Key to our economic recovery are the partnerships between government and the private sector. And this new brand, which is a confidence boost to the sector, is a great example of a successful partnership between government and the private sector.”
We are inviting everyone within the Western Cape to be part of building the profile of Cape Town as Africa’s Tech Capital – register here to receive the logo and brand assets.
Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos, added, “With an internet take-up of 63% and with one of the largest open-access fibre networks in Africa, Cape Town is home to the vast majority (almost 60%) of South Africa’s start-ups. The City funded Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) is Africa’s oldest tech incubator and has turned out more than 2,000 businesses and supported more than 3,000 entrepreneurs since its inception in 1999. In response to this growing industry, the City of Cape Town is continuing to invest in IT infrastructure, and to date, the City has installed 848 km of fibre-optic cable. As a City, we will continue to support and invest in high growth sectors that will create jobs for our residents. This is a caring city, but more so, Cape Town is an opportunity city and we are open for business.”
Concluding the launch event, Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, said, “We need to affirm our status as leader of the African tech ecosystem, and declare this on the international stage. We have the overwhelming evidence that Cape Town is Africa’s leading tech capital. Now, we need to jointly tell the world!”
A vessel similar to the vessels DNG Energy will be using at Coega. (Supplied: DNG Energy)
DNG Energy has received final authorisation from the Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) to begin Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering operations in the Port of Coega (Ngqura), in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Aldworth Mbalati, the Group Chief Executive Officer of DNG Energy says, “This is a positive outcome for DNG Energy and South Africa. Our country is poised to become a premium LNG bunkering hub in the Southern Hemisphere. The licence enables us to respond to environmental, legislative and business needs for the South African and the international LNG fuel markets. We are happy to be part of the solution in the quest to decarbonise the shipping industry by offering LNG as a transition fuel that is safer for marine species.”
Aldworth Mbalati, Group Chief Executive Officer of DNG Energy
The licence gives DNG Energy rights to have its terminal, the floating storage unit (FSU) in Algoa Bay, which is a first in Africa. This will enable the company to offer off-shore as well as on-shore logistics with ship-to-ship transfers for international trading ships as well as LNG “milk runs” within the country.
The impact of this project stretches from securing energy for various industries and households as well as creating jobs and developing skills in the country.
“We are positive about the future of South Africa, and supplying the cheapest possible gas that we can find to power the economy is our contribution towards achieving socio-economic aspirations of the country in a responsible manner. The licence opens up a way for us to deliver LNG in South Africa as early as 2021.
“The next steps include completing our terminal infrastructure at Algoa Bay and finalising delivery of our storage and bunkering equipment. We are poised to be the gas solutions provider for local and international markets by adding value in the gas value chain,” adds Mbalati.
Digitisation and technological innovation are nothing new to the South African banking industry, but those banks that had made significant progress on their digital journeys before the Covid-19 pandemic, have been best placed to meet the fast-changing needs of their clients and, as is the case with Nedbank, gain efficiencies and grow market share in the process.
According to Ciko Thomas, Group Managing Executive for Nedbank Retail and Business Banking, the progress that the bank made on its digital transformation journey in the years leading up to 2020, equipped it with the technology infrastructure, world-class banking platforms and processes, and agility to move quickly when its clients most needed it to earlier this year.
As a result, the bank has seen some impressive gains, not only in the digital migration of its existing clients, but also in its ability to attract and efficiently onboard new clients – despite remote working and social distancing challenges.
“Over the past few years, Nedbank has invested into the development of a true omni-channel banking experience for our clients, including our ground-breaking Eclipse single-client-view onboarding and servicing system, various platform-based banking ecosystems, and our industry leading Open Banking (API) platform,” Thomas explains, “and while we had no idea at the time we were developing these systems that they would be so absolutely vital to our customers in 2020, they have given us the ability to actually enhance our solutions and service delivery for the benefit of our clients during these difficult months.”
And the statistics Thomas shares around Nedbank’s increasing digital uptake, enhanced client servicing, and year-on-year market share growth certainly bear out his claims. For example, the bank’s digital sales increased to 53% in the first half of 2020 from 9% in 2018.
The bank has also prioritised its turnaround times for credit application approvals and funds disbursals. Thomas points out that this focus on credit provision speed and efficiency has been facilitated by means of a highly efficient straight-through processing system, involving a single digital application form that is pre-populated for existing Nedbank clients, cutting-edge automated credit assessment processes, and very fast approval-to-payment processing times.
The bank’s digital sales increased to 53% in the first half of 2020 from 9% in 2018
“We have significantly increased the number of same-day funds disbursals on successful personal loans applications, from 40% last year to 65% currently,’ he says, ‘and our clients appreciate the speed with which these funds are now made available in their bank accounts during Covid-19 and the national lockdown.”
Our more efficient digital credit process has resulted in the Net Promoter Score for this key touchpoint in the client onboarding journey increasing from 70% to above 80% since the bank rolled out its Eclipse digital platform ecosystem to its branch network.
“In June this year, we effectively switched off all our legacy systems, so all our new business is now being originated through our digital Eclipse platform,” Thomas says, ‘and this convenient, digitally enabled sales ecosystem has significantly enhanced the levels of ease and convenience enjoyed by our clients, both in terms of joining the bank and quickly accessing the finance solutions they need through a vast array of digital channels.”
Ciko Thomas, Group Managing Executive for Nedbank Retail and Business Banking
By way of example, Thomas points out that a client of Nedbank in need of extra money, can apply for a personal loan in minutes online and have the funds available to them within 90 minutes.
And the benefits of Nedbank’s extensive investment into digitisation don’t end with finance application and disbursement. The highly integrated, true omni-channel Nedbank system makes accessing, transferring, managing and even investing funds quick, easy and secure.
“Of course, while we are immensely pleased with the steady growth in clients and product uptake that we are seeing as a result of our digital focus, sales are not the main reason we have invested so massively into digitisation in recent years,” Thomas says, “we have long been committed to providing outstanding services and a range of innovative solutions that are, quite literally, life changing for South Africans – and the very positive business data we’re seeing as a result of our digital-first commitment is evidence that we are succeeding in delivering on that promise.”
Johannesburg cityscape, taken at sunset, showing Hillbrow residential centre with the prominent Ponte flats and the communications tower. (Credit: iStock by Getty Images)
Infrastructure spending and areas dedicated to specific kinds of manufacturing are intended to drive economic growth in the Gauteng Province. Both concepts fall within broader national plans to boost industrialisation through various kinds of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and infrastructural initiatives.
A number of national and provincial planning frameworks inform the planning of Gauteng’s economic future. These include the National Development Plan, Growing Gauteng Together (GGT 2030), Gauteng 2055 Vision and the City of Johannesburg’s Growth Development Strategy and Spatial Development Framework.
The Gauteng Provincial Government will spend R60-billion on building and maintaining infrastructure in the five years to 2025. The provincial authorities further estimate that about R100-billion will be spent on infrastructure projects in the province by a variety of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and national departments in the next decade. The overall estimate for the injection of capital related to infrastructure, including private initiatives, is calculated at R760-billion in the period to 2030.
A 15-year Gauteng Infrastructure Master Plan has been adopted, but multiple sources of funding are needed for the plan to succeed in areas such as the provision of water, logistics, broadband connectivity, public transport, energy and the reshaping of cities to accommodate citizens in a better way than was the case under apartheid. A World Bank report has shown that a 10% increase in infrastructure spending results in a 1% growth in GDP.
Gauteng began laying the groundwork for creating a research base for urban planning as far back as 2008 when the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) was established. A partnership between the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits) and the Gauteng Provincial Government, the GCRO does research on which planners can base their projections.
A Township Economic Development Bill is to be introduced in the provincial legislature to reduce the amount of red tape faced by small businesses. Growth strategies are to be integrated to ensure that township SMMEs and black industrialists are considered when programmes such as the focus on 10 “high-growth sectors” are implemented. Youth employment will be factored in to plans to support those sectors.
Corridors and SEZs
Five corridors have been identified for development purposes. Each has core existing economic activities which will be supported and expanded. In addition, new activities will be encouraged to diversify the area’s economic potential and create jobs.
The Gauteng City-Region plan to have three fully operating Special Economic Zones (SEZs) by 2025. These will be based in Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and Sedibeng with an additional Special Agro-Processing Zone located in the West Rand. The province intends reviving 15 industrial parks and creating 12 agri-parks and five agro-processing facilities across the province.
By 2030, Gauteng aims to have the biggest inland logistics hub and dry port in Africa – the Transnet Tambo-Springs Logistics Gateway.
These area-based infrastructure and logistics projects are expected to contribute to giving the province a competitive edge in the 10 economic sectors that have been identified as “high-growth”. This in turn will create opportunities for small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) and township businesses.
The Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) is a key project within the Northern Corridor. It is a project of the Gauteng Province, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and the City of Tshwane. The implementing agent is the Coega Development Corporation (CDC), the developer and operator of the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
The TASEZ, branded as “Africa’s First Automotive City”, has a mandate to promote economic participation for SMMEs and create employment in the region. Sectors targeted include security, ICT maintenance, facility maintenance, construction, automotive supply chain, marketing and advertising, catering and events.
Tshwane Automotive City Master Plan (Credit: Automotive Industry Development Centre – AIDC)
The benefits that arise from clustering of businesses in related sectors is a key element of an SEZ. Both the Nissan and BMW plants are expanding and Ford is investing in Silverton.
An Incubation Centre for SMMEs has been launched at Nissan’s assembly plant in Rosslyn. The facility supports small enterprises through subsidised rental and mentorship and training. Management of the centre is done by the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC), a subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA). The Jobs Fund contributes to financing the project.
Other focus sectors in this corridor include agriculture and agro-processing, defence, the aerospace and aviation industries together with the innovation, research and development cluster anchored around the Gauteng Innovation Hub, universities and research institutes.
The OR Tambo SEZ is at the centre of the Eastern Corridor, which underscores Ekurhuleni’s strengths in manufacturing and logistics. The OR Tambo SEZ has launched the biggest food processing operation in the southern hemisphere (and the world’s second-largest refrigeration plant). With a special focus on export-oriented value-added industry, the OR Tambo SEZ leverages its connection to the country’s busiest airport. The focus of this SEZ is on agro-processing, jewellery manufacturing and mineral beneficiation as well as the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology. This is another subsidiary of the GGDA.
Other Eastern Corridor sectors include rail and bus manufacturing (including the PRASA-Gibela rail manufacturing hub in Nigel), defence and aerospace and food and beverages.
Credit: Mark Hillary/Flickr
The Western Corridor encompasses the economy of the West Rand and has been targeted for the creation of new zones for development, housing, and industry. The aim is to diversify away from mining towards renewable energy, tourism, bus manufacturing and agro-processing. The release of 30 000 hectares of land by Sibanye Gold has unlocked the potential for major investment projects. A Smart City is envisaged for Lanseria and the area to its west.
Where steel used to be the anchor industry in the Southern Corridor, today the aim is to build new industries through an SEZ that will cover both sides of the Vaal River and thus extend into the Free State Province. Among the investments that will create impetus are the Savannah City development, Vaal River City development, a cargo airport and logistics hub, the AB InBev investment project, the Gauteng Highlands water project, the Vaal Marina development and logistics and mining investments in the Lesedi Local Municipality, which includes Heidelberg and Nigel.
Metropolitan drivers
The Central Development Corridor revolves around the City of Johannesburg as the hub for financial services, information and communication technology, services and pharmaceutical sectors.
New investments are planned for the Jo’burg Inner-City and the South, from Soweto, N12 which includes Masingita City, Southern Farms to Orange Farm. The City of Johannesburg has recently completed a review of its policy of nodal development with a view to creating a fairer spatial framework for the city than that created by the racist planning laws of the apartheid era.
As Member of the Mayoral Committee Lawrence Khoza puts it, “Nowhere is the legacy of our painful past expressed more vividly than in the racially divided spatial character of South Africa’s cities.”
Johannesburg has designated eight zones:
Inner-city: high-intensity use.
Metropolitan: mix of land uses which currently includes Sandton and Rosebank and will expand to include parts of Soweto.
General urban: designed to be transformative, mix of economic and residential use.
Local economic development: interventions planned to create economic opportunities in areas with poor facilities (Zandspruit, Orange Farm, parts of Soweto).
Suburban: lower density with local mixing of land use (homes, offices, offices, shops).
Dark green: a limit of 8% coverage of buildings.
Peri-urban/agriculture: low density.
Another transformative initiative being undertaken in Johannesburg is the use of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) to drive investment and development. Implemented by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), the TODs are another attempt to improve the lives of people living in previously neglected areas.
One such TOD is the Jabulani TOD in Soweto where a seven-phase project is underway that includes a multi-purpose hall, a library, counselling facilities, sports facilities, offices and meeting rooms. A pedestrian bridge over a railway line and new roads underscore the transport element, with the facilities near the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) route that runs through Soweto to central Johannesburg.
TODs are designed to attract further investment and are supported by the Neighbourhood Development Partnership Grant from National Treasury.
The Jabulani Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
Other projects undertaken by the JDA range from the upgrading of Constitution Hill, the Faraday Station precinct, work on the Fashion District and pavements of the inner city, renovation of the Drill Hall and the big Newtown make-over.
Johannesburg has been the focus of a major tax incentive initiative, the Urban Development Zone (UDZ). The inner city of Johannesburg, comprising just less than 18 km², is the largest UDZ in South Africa and it is expanding its footprint in response to significant successes that have been achieved.
The Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) has plans to provide affordable rental accommodation in 12 inner-city buildings that were recently identified for that purpose. But the main target for the UDZ is private investors.
The City of Johannesburg has identified the following nodes for development:
Carlton Precinct: Johannesburg’s tallest building attracts tourists; undergoing revamp; Sky Rink TV and film studio being developed; conference centre planned.
Park Station: intermodal node catering for cars, buses, rail commuters and taxis; Gautrain link to OR Tambo International Airport; wide variety of users.
Central park: JDA has worked on greening and community engagement and wants the park to be a symbol of the successful city.
Doornfontein/Ellis Park railroad corridor: planned retail hub and student village.
Fordsburg: interior design focus; more offices and accommodation can be built.
Newtown: cultural precinct with the potential to cater to students and university departments with specialised offices and spaces.
Hillbrow, Berea, Parktown, Bellvue, Yeoville: creation of new public open space; opportunities for office and hotel developments.
National Infrastructure boost
An Investment and Infrastructure Office has been created in the Presidency. It is headed by the former Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa. In 2020, 51 infrastructure projects with a total investment value of more than R340-billion were gazetted.
Ten of the 18 affordable housing projects listed are located in Gauteng. These include Malibongwe Ridge, Green Creek, Mooikloof Mega Residential City, Fochville Extension 11 and Germiston Ext 4 Social Housing Project. A large project is underway in Tshwane, Salvokop Precinct, to house government departments and commercial buildings.
The energy projects identified by national government will have an impact on Gauteng, the country’s biggest consumer of energy. Priorities include embedded generation and the huge water supply project, Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, will create many opportunities.
The winning entry of the AFSIA award for the Solar Picture of the year by Alexandre Skander Allegue. (Source: ESI Africa)
The inaugural Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) Solar Awards, organised in partnership with the Africa Energy Forum (aef), culminated in a grand show streamed online, during which the winners of 15 categories were unveiled and celebrated.
John van Zuylen, the founder of AFSIA, commented: “AFSIA Solar Awards was delighted to be hosted by this much-respected programme and to unveil the winners during a digital ceremony.”
The winners are:
Utility-Scale Project of the year:
Sterling & Wilson Solar for the multi-projects 322 MW contribution to Egypt’s 1.6 GW Benban Solar Complex
Commercial & Industrial Solar Project of the year:
CrossBoundary Energy for the Jabi Lake Mall project in Abuja, Nigeria
Mini-Grid Project of the year:
Africa GreenTec for their productive-use based Mini-Grid projects in Mali, Niger and Senegal, which are often subject to high-security risks.
Solar Home System Company of the year:
d.light for achieving the target of reaching 100 million people with solar energy.
Residential Project of the year:
Munyax Eco for exceptional achievement in the field of Solar Water heaters having installed more than 1,000 units across Rwanda saving 8,000 tons of CO² per year.
African Solar company of the year:
ANKA Madagascar for securing 5 MW worth of mini-grids across Madagascar and for the company’s innovative AgriGrid model.
African Solar SME of the year: (two winners)
Pawame for reaching 80,000 Kenyans with Solar Home System solutions while achieving cash-flow break-even and profitability, and Solar Box Gabon for developing the “Solar Cube” which doubles the production of traditional solar panels.
Financial Advisor of the year:
Synergy Consulting Infrastructure and Financial Advisory Services for their advisory services to cutting-edge large-scale projects across the continent such as the 2 x 50 MW tender in Botswana, the 32 MW Djermaya project in Chad or the world’s first PV-CSP hybrid 200 MW project in Egypt.
Legal Advisor of the year:
Eversheds Sutherland for their contribution to the Open Solar Contracts with IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency, and the Terrawatt Initiative, providing open-source standardised contracts to governments across the globe.
Technical Advisor of the year:
Suntrace for technical advisory services to the Fekola Gold mine hybrid project in Mali, a first of its kind off-grid hybrid project composed of 36 MW of solar, 15.4 MWh of storage, and saving 13 million litres of heavy fuel oil annually.
DFI of the year:
African Development Bank (AfDB) for establishing SEFA, the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa, which has contributed among others first-of-its-kind inventory finance facility for solar irrigation products in East Africa.
Woman in Solar of the year:
Olaedo Osoka CEO of Daystar Power Ghana, for leading the expansion of the company from Nigeria to Ghana, Togo and Senegal and realising C&I projects of 8 MW in this 2-years period… only at the age of 27!
Solar Innovation for the year:
Phaesun for their work on the RevivED Water Innovation project. This project is a solar-powered desalination and purification system for brackish water based on electrodialysis technology providing up to 2000 liters of clean drinking water per day.
Solar Picture of the year:
Alexandre Skander Allegue – Pawame for a beautiful picture highlighting the impact of lighting in the most remote areas.
Solar video of the year:
Joanna Gentili – African Minigrids for a super inspiring and motivating video about electrifying a village in Malawi.
An exceptional and global platform
According to the organisers, more than 130 entries were submitted across the different categories from all over the continent over the past few months.
The jury, composed of leading experts in solar energy in Africa, carefully evaluated each entry to identify the most deserving companies and individuals to be awarded the grand prize during this online ceremony.
Among the 15 categories in the competition this year, the most disputed titles included “C&I Project of the Year” and “Mini-Grid Project of the Year”, which is reflective of the increased activity of both of these segments of the African solar industry.
“Woman in Solar of the Year” was another strong category among participants. This highlights the very positive trend of the growing involvement of women in the solar industry across the continent.
The awards form part of aef’s programme for the six-week-long Digital Energy Festival for Africa, which it is hosting along with African Utility Week & POWERGEN Africa, the Oil & Gas Council’s Africa Assembly and ESI Africa. The largest-ever energy event for the African continent, the festival continues until 26 November.
For more information on and to book for the Digital Energy Festival for Africa:
– Africa Energy Forum sessions, click here
– Oil & Gas Council sessions, click here
– African Utility Week & POWERGEN Africa sessions, click here – FREE access
– ESI Africa sessions, click here – FREE access
Future Fit Management & Leadership - UFS Business School
Implications for leaders and decision-makers
It is not surprising if we feel overwhelmed by all of this. Many have a sense of being “unmoored”; of having lost their bearings and having no solid ground to anchor us. Everything we thought we knew seems insufficient. We continually have to engage the boundary between competence and incompetence, between knowing and not knowing.
Most of us have lived in a world shaped by narratives that equate our value as human beings to knowing, having answers and being confident. Many are struggling to deal with the fact that the knowledge and skills that brought them past success are now becoming irrelevant at a mind-bending pace.
The ability to make sense of the situations we face in the “here-and-now” has never been more critical. We need to become “contextually intelligent”, able to make sense of each unique situation in order to know how to act appropriately and not become paralysed by the uncertainty.
Many are struggling to deal with the fact that the knowledge and skills that brought them past success are now becoming irrelevant at a mind-bending pace.
Dave Snowden’s Cynefin™ sense-making framework (4) is helpful as a sense-making aid. It has five primary domains that help us distinguish between five different contexts. On the right are two ordered domains. This is the world of stability that we are most comfortable in, where cause-and-effect relationships are either self-evident or can be figured out. Here we are dealing with known unknowns or even known knowns. We can apply industry best practices and standard operating procedures, or we can consult with experts and do analysis; in fact, most of our existing tools and practices equip us well to function in here.
However, we are less equipped to operate in the other three domains, and unfortunately, this is where we mostly find ourselves now.
In the Complex domain we need to interact, or dance, with the system to gain an understanding of the patterns and dynamics at play. We act experimentally; small, local safe-to-fail experiments help us find our way forward. We look for opportunities to repurpose existing skills or resources. In this domain, analysis leads to paralysis and checklists and best practices are dangerous. Every now-and-again, we are dipped into Chaos. During the Covid-19 pandemic, this is happening more often that we would like.
The Chaotic domain, unlike the others, is a temporary state of crisis where there are no effective constraints and no discernible patterns. When we experience a true black swan event (1), we often find ourselves here. In Chaos we need decisive action, we need to impose constraints (sometimes draconian in nature e.g. country lockdowns) to buy ourselves some time. As soon as we introduce constraints, patterns start to emerge that provide us with management options, and hopefully the opportunity to stabilise the situation into the Complex domain. It is important to know what we are not in a perpetual state of chaos, as that removes our sense of agency. We dip into chaos every now and again, but mostly we are in complexity or in the final domain, a state of Confusion.
It is important to know what we are not in a perpetual state of chaos, as that removes our sense of agency.
The final domain, one that is often ignored, but that I believe is of extreme importance now, is the central domain of Confusion. We find ourselves here when we don’t have enough information to make sense of where we are. When things are ambiguous, when we face double-blinds and paradox. This is the domain of Confusion. The danger is that we get stuck there, which may lead to a descent into Chaos.
By now it should be abundantly clear that leaders and decision-makers need to become contextually intelligent. That we can no longer afford to assume our approaches and tools are context agnostic and that we cannot rely on experts and best-practices any longer. This has implications for Management & Leadership Development?
More than ever before, we need to focus on enabling decision-makers and leaders to become complexity- and future-fit. We need to shift our thinking about what leadership is, focusing less on the individual inhabiting the role, and more on the dynamic interplay between leading and following that can enable true adaptive leadership.
By now it should be abundantly clear that leaders and decision-makers need to become contextually intelligent.
With exponential change, technical skills and best practices have short-lived and limited value. Therefore, our focus is on building the meta-skills that will ensure adaptive capacity, and the ability to respond to increasing turbulence. These include sense-making, curiosity, network intelligence and learning agility.
In the first article of this series (Part 1) and in this article (Part 2) we focused on gaining a better understanding of the challenges presented by the post Covid-19 context. In the final article (Part 3), we will look at what leaders can do practically to better navigate the complexity, chaos and confusion.
The UFS Business School recognises the challenges posed to management and leadership by the times we live in. This has led to the design of our Future Fitness approach to management and leadership development.
The Core Idea – Future Fit Management & Leadership
Our Value Proposition will enable decision-makers and leaders to become complexity- and future-fit.
Focusing on meta-skills that will ensure adaptive capacity, and the ability to respond to increasing turbulence.
With exponential change, technical skills and best practices have short-lived and limited value. Our programmes will aim to fundamentally shift how participants see and make sense of their contexts and equip them with meta-skills such as curiosity, learning agility, sense-making and adaptive intelligence.
Our view on Future Fit Management & Leadership:
Being a Future Fit Manager or Leader will require the development of the following fitness areas:
Digital Fitness – For managers and leaders, the key to digital readiness lies in creating awareness and stimulating interest in and preference for the digital way.
People Fitness – Self-development and appreciation lies at the heart of appreciating the value and potential that lies in diversity.
Customer Fitness – Mindsets for growth and agility is required to keep the customer at the centre of all innovation and design processes as we adapt to an ever-changing environment.
Strategic Fitness – Doing the right things and doing them right.
Functional Fitness– Developing the required technical, managerial skills.
Complexity Fitness– The ability to take on a Complexity view on all the Fitness Areas discussed above. Complexity and sense-making as “new language”, enables decision-makers and senior leaders to ensure adaptive capacity, and the ability to respond to increasing turbulence.
As one of South Africa’s thought leaders in the applied complexity, Sonja Blignaut has teamed up with the UFS Business School for purposes of developing a range of short learning programmes in applied complexity and to facilitate the development of a Complexity View on a Future Fit Management and Leadership Development value proposition.
Sonja is a thinking partner for leaders, change-makers (individuals and teams) who need to lead in uncertainty; enable strategic agility and create future-fit organisations. She co-creates and delivers fit-for-context interventions to enable responsive and adaptive organisations.
Sonja also looks after the global Cognitive Edge network and is the South African partner for Prof Dave Snowden’s company Cognitive Edge for over a decade (Wales, USA, Singapore, UK, Netherlands, Brazil). She teaches locally and internationally on Complexity, Cynefin™ and enabling adaptive organisations. Sonja is certified in various individual and systemic coaching methods and a sought-after speaker, with experience at various conferences locally and internationally, including TEDx.
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Initially focusing on voice skills, the curriculum at the BPO Academy will expand along the full BPO value chain of skills requirements including ICT, finance and accounting and other middle and back-office capabilities, offering young graduates that next step into a career in the BPO sector.
“Over the past few years, Nedbank has invested into the development of a true omni-channel banking experience for our clients, including our ground-breaking Eclipse single-client-view onboarding and servicing system, various platform-based banking ecosystems, and our industry leading Open Banking (API) platform,” Thomas explains, “and while we had no idea at the time we were developing these systems that they would be so absolutely vital to our customers in 2020, they have given us the ability to actually enhance our solutions and service delivery for the benefit of our clients during these difficult months.”
Our view on Future Fit Management & Leadership:
