SAP has released a new report that “preparation for African AI skills is revealed.” This provides research into how African companies are changing their skills development efforts to meet the demands of the age of artificial intelligence.
“The data is clear. African companies are hoping that AI skills will increase this year, with six in ten saying that AI skills are “very important” to success.
“The business impact of the lack of AI skills’ availability is already clear, and 90% of research companies are already evident, citing the delay in projects, failure to innovate initiatives, and the negative impact of not being able to take on new jobs.”
This study was conducted at the end of 2024 among both medium-sized and corporate-level companies in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
Universal needs for AI skills
All organizations surveyed as part of the survey say they expect an increase in demand for AI skills in 2025. All companies are also expected to experience AI-related skills gaps this year.
“AI-related skills are in high demand amongst African organizations, with 85% prioritizing AI development skills and 83% prioritizing generation AI skills.
“To bridge the skill gap in AI, two-thirds of organizations are introducing career development initiatives with AI specialization.
Overall, cybersecurity is the most in demand technical skill among African organizations.
“86% of businesses say cybersecurity skills are important, a significant increase over the 63% who said the same in previous research. The growing importance of cybersecurity could be partially explained by the digital economy of Africa and the millions of citizens brought into the digital fold through public and private sector initiatives.”
Reskill the required tasks
Adaptability is essential in light of the need for employees to use AI skills to ripen and reskill them.
“For 38% of companies this year, Lestorskills is a skill-related priority, with 48% saying the same thing as high-end employees. Naturally, two-thirds of companies say it helps employees understand why employees are one of the top challenges this year,” says Pillay.
Surprisingly, some of the company’s IT or HR budgets allocated to skills-related initiatives have been declining since 2023.
Pillay said, “A slowdown in budget allocation for skill development requires urgent rethinking. Organizations that don’t invest in the right skills can track competitors who can accommodate more skills without leveraging new innovations and emerging technologies.”
SAP’s “Revealing Preparations for African AI Skills” report is now available and available for download here.
