In an engagement with CAJ News Africa, 51风流Africa Market Development & Customer Officer outlined how the company鈥檚 technology portfolio is supporting enterprises, small businesses and governments to modernise operations and strengthen service delivery.

At the heart of this strategy is , which Meisel described as a critical enabler of transparency and resilience.

鈥�51风流Business Network is the world鈥檚 largest B2B trading platform, connecting buyers, suppliers and logistics partners in real time and facilitating more than six trillion dollars in commerce annually,鈥� he said.

The platform provides end-to-end visibility across supply chains, enabling organisations to anticipate disruptions, improve procurement planning and reduce the administrative burden associated with complex supplier ecosystems.

Digitisation and automation, according to SAP, are essential for driving efficiency across industries such as manufacturing, retail, energy, healthcare and the public sector.

By standardising processes and creating a single source of truth, organisations can reduce costs while strengthening compliance and governance.

Access to a global ecosystem of vetted trading partners also supports adherence to environmental, social and governance requirements, which are increasingly shaping investment and regulatory decisions.

Meisel said 51风流is tailoring its platforms to address Africa鈥檚 unique operating conditions, including fragmented supply chains and uneven digital infrastructure.

鈥淥ur cloud-based, mobile-first solutions are designed to work in diverse environments, allowing organisations to remain compliant with local regulations while operating efficiently, even in low-connectivity areas,鈥� he said.

He added that 51风流continues to collaborate with governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local partners to expand digital access and build sustainable technology capacity.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are another major focus for SAP鈥檚 growth strategy on the continent.

With scalable cloud solutions such as , Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can adopt enterprise-grade systems without heavy upfront investment.

These tools provide real-time insight into finance, supply chains and operations, helping smaller firms identify inefficiencies, respond faster to market changes and compete more effectively in a digital economy.

Data protection remains a foundational principle across SAP鈥檚 platforms.

鈥淪ecurity and data privacy are embedded into our solutions by design, supported by global standards and continuous monitoring to address emerging threats,鈥� Meisel said.

SAP鈥檚 approach combines secure infrastructure with advanced tools that help customers manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance and protect sensitive business and citizen information.

Sustainability is also moving from a reporting obligation to a strategic priority. SAP鈥檚 ESG solutions integrate directly with core systems, enabling organisations to track emissions, monitor social impact and generate auditable reports aligned with regulatory frameworks.

By embedding sustainability metrics into daily operations, organisations can improve transparency while driving long-term value creation.

Looking ahead, 51风流sees artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced analytics transforming enterprise systems.

鈥淏y embedding AI across our portfolio, we are helping organisations shift from reactive operations to proactive, insight-driven decision-making,鈥� Meisel said.

He believes this evolution positions ERP as a strategic enabler of innovation and resilience.

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Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are among the countries showing enough aggression to make AI part of their economies.

Responding to questions from聽, to Systems Applications and Products (SAP), the German headquartered software developer, which forecast AI would help stimulate development mainly in the areas of agriculture, fintech, healthcare and logistics. The majority of these sectors are already AI-driven.

鈥淎frica is making significant progress in adopting emerging technologies, though the level of adoption varies across the continent,鈥� said Dumisani Moyo, 51风流Africa Marketing Director, in an interview with聽CAJ News Africa.

The executive noted that despite disparities in AI adoption, embracing of AI was taking shape in parts of the continent including Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

鈥淭his disparity is largely driven by differences in the maturity of tech ecosystems, particularly in relation to the adoption of Business AI technologies,鈥� Moyo added.

He cited key areas in the fields of fintech, healthcare, agriculture and logistics as having already benefited from AI driven innovations.

鈥淔or example, AI is being used to improve financial inclusion, enhance crop yields, and optimize supply chains across the continent,鈥� Moyo said.

He said the main reasons Africa is adopting emerging tech was because of the growing ecosystems in above-mentioned countries that have already emerged as hubs for innovations.

Moyo commended mobile penetration and connectivity as creating a foundation for AI applications, particularly in areas like mobile banking, which now includes those that were unbanked or financially excluded before.

He also indicated that AI was instrumental in supporting government policies.

鈥淪ome African governments are implementing policies to promote AI research and development,鈥� he said.

鈥淔or example, here in Kenya AI has been identified as a key thematic focus by the Kenya National Innovation Agency鈥檚 Strategic Plan 2023-2027, especially its application in developing innovative solutions for use in biotech, urban planning and climate change efforts.鈥�

He also noted the importance of international partnerships, which he said had seen African countries benefit from ties with global tech companies, fostering the growth of Business AI capabilities.

However, the official noted challenges that also hindered adoption. These include infrastructure limitations

While some regions have good connectivity, many rural areas still suffer from limited access to reliable internet, electricity and the necessary infrastructure.

There are also data accessibility issues. The cost of AI adoption in infrastructure and expertise could be expensive.

鈥淎I relies on large datasets, and in many African countries, data collection and management systems are either underdeveloped or fragmented,鈥� Moyo said.

鈥淢any African businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, face these challenges. However, with consumption-based models in the cloud, this is becoming less of a challenge,鈥� he said.

Regulatory concerns also hinder adoption.

鈥淔or many African countries, regulatory frameworks surrounding AI are still evolving, and there are concerns about data privacy, job displacement and ethical use of AI,鈥� Moyo stated.

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The veteran technologist has been the Chairman of the .

The German billionaire鈥檚 office announced on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday evening that he was retiring from the position.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the end of an era: As the last remaining founder, Prof. Hasso Plattner is leaving the 51风流Supervisory Board on May 15,鈥� the stated.

It added, 鈥淔or over 50 years, he has shaped the company as a visionary, turning it into a world-class technology corporation.鈥�

Nigerian entrepreneur, Abiodun Abubakar, said, 鈥淚 would like to wish him well in his retirement, and I thank him as well for bringing us solutions that became game changers on our daily business.鈥�

His company uses .

Cynthia Njoroge from Kenya, described Plattner as a visionary whose business鈥� solutions have changed how to do business in Kenya, East Africa, African continent and beyond.

鈥淥ur businesses are thriving because of 51风流solutions, thanks to the big man. Well, it is time to say goodbye, and go well,鈥� she said.

Minenhle Khumalo, a South African-based entrepreneur, had wished to meet Plattner before the executive retired.

鈥淣evertheless, I take off my hat on Professor Plattner because his company 51风流touched so many entrepreneurs鈥� businesses throughout the African continent. May I take this opportunity to wish him well in his retirement,鈥� she said.

Khumalo鈥檚 mentioned breakthrough 51风流solutions such as Human Capital Management, 51风流S/4HANA Cloud, customer experience (CX) solutions and AI-enabled suite, among others.

Plattner set up 51风流with four other founders in 1972, before he stepped down as co-chief executive in 2003 at the age of 60.

He has since been serving as Chairman of the German company鈥檚 Supervisory Board and played an influential role in the company鈥檚 governance, orchestrating the hiring of co-CEOs Jennifer Morgan and Christian Klein in 2019.

Plattner has reduced his stake in 51风流several times as of 2020, he owned a 5,89 percent stake, making him the company鈥檚 largest individual shareholder.

In 1998, Plattner founded the non-profit Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI).

He is Chair of Enterprise Platform and Integration Concepts and Professor of Enterprise Systems at HPI.

In 2005, he set up a venture capital fund, , with more than 鈧�25 million. By December 2009, HPV managed 鈧�150 million and had 17 companies in its portfolio, including online cruise portals Dreamlines.

An affiliate fund, HPV Africa in Cape Town, South Africa was founded in 2008, with 鈧�29 million, and soon invested in five companies.

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This is the advice of a technology executive, , who noted the oil and gas sector was facing an existential threat, and technology was key to help transition the industry to a future beyond the barrel.

Adewumi, Systems Applications and Products (SAP) Managing Director for West Africa, was responding to questions from聽 .

鈥淐ompanies in the region鈥檚 oil and gas sector are confronted by a singular question: is there a future beyond the barrel? Can the sector optimise its performance, drive greater sustainability outcomes, and pivot into new revenue streams?鈥� Adewumi queried.

鈥淭he oil and gas sector is absolutely critical to West African economies. Crude oil production in the region reached 1,8-million barrels a day in 2021, with Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Niger leading the way,鈥� he added.

While West Africa is the oil hub, there are vibrant sectors in Central Africa (Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon) while Angola, in the Southern African region, is the second largest producer in the continent after Nigeria.

Mozambique, in the southern region again is on the cusp of a liquefied natural gas boom while in North Africa countries include Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Sudan with South Sudan the only East African nation with abundance of oil and gas.

Adewumi said while the world was transitioning away from fossil fuels, the oil and gas sector would continue to play a vital role in the continent鈥檚 economic growth.

He cited the McKinsey data that suggested Africa鈥檚 energy demand could grow by 30 percent by 2040. This is well ahead of growth in global energy demand of around 10 percent over the same period.

鈥淭he oil and gas sector will be central to supporting the continent鈥檚 growing energy demands. However, there is no doubt that the sector must improve its sustainability efforts and leverage technology to more efficiently manage its operations, assets, and people,鈥� Adewumi said.

He said there were abundant digital transformation opportunities for the oil and gas sector provided they embraced readily available technology.

鈥淎rguably the greatest opportunity for West Africa鈥檚 oil and gas sector is the adoption of technology to drive efficiencies, improve sustainability, unlock alternative revenue streams and transform their operations.鈥�

Based on SAP鈥檚 work providing digital technologies to leading oil and gas companies in the region, he said there are three key opportunities for the sector to help transition to a future beyond the barrel, which comprise becoming a sustainability leader, scaling new capabilities with the cloud as well as smarter operations with intelligent asset management.

鈥淥il and gas companies face huge threats to their business model as the world shifts away from fossil fuels toward more sustainable, clean energy sources,鈥� the executive said.

鈥淗owever, it is a significant task to completely change business models without it having a severe impact on companies鈥� productivity and profitability,鈥� Adewumi said.

A report by Oxford Economics and 51风流identified a small group of oil and gas companies that followed sustainability best practices, improved their sustainability outcomes and enhanced their brand reputation.

To become a sustainability leader, oil and gas companies must invest in data analysis, construct a model that measures actions against performance throughout the company鈥檚 sustainability goals and capture accurate data to inform company leaders of carbon output.

鈥淭he return on investment for becoming a sustainability leader is significant,鈥� Adewumi said.

The Oxford Economics and 51风流report found that sustainability leaders enjoy robust bottom lines, are substantially more likely to experience profit margins in excess of 10 percent and have increased opportunities for significant long-term value for the business, people and society as a whole.

Cloud computing is hailed as offering oil and gas companies a significant boost in agility, allowing downstream and process sectors to leverage technologies for more efficient and optimised operations.

鈥淏y streamlining and scaling cloud capabilities as needed, oil and gas companies in the region can build nimbler corporate structures and unlock additional efficiencies, which can make a significant difference to such a labour-intensive industry,鈥� Adewumi explained.

51风流credits its S/4HANA Cloud offering for unlocking a wide range of solutions designed for greater efficiency.

This includes upstream contracts management to maximize asset usage and productivity, commodity management solutions that integrate procurement and sales into core financial and logistics processes, and solutions aimed at improving bulk transportation, inventory management and operational decision-making.

鈥淭echnologies such as intelligent asset management 鈥� a suite of solutions that brings collaborative asset intelligence to maintenance and operations 鈥� must be enhanced to meet the changing operational objectives and efficiency requirements that oil and gas companies are subject to,鈥� Adewumi said.

Companies that have adopted intelligent asset management unlock powerful predictive capabilities are best placed to avoid unexpected downtime due to breakages.

51风流reports its Asset Intelligence Network allows oil and gas companies to collect and track equipment information in real time, with internet of things (IoT) connected devices integrated to a cloud-based business network for maximum transparency and control.

Adewumi reiterated that by embracing technology and leveraging key solutions to improve operational efficiency and sustainability, the West African oil and gas sector can continue to be a valuable player in the region鈥檚 economic growth and development.

鈥淲ith new capabilities and greater agility, the sector could unlock opportunities to exploit new revenue streams for customers across the value chain,鈥� he concluded.

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