is a social enterprise in Kenya that produces and supplies medical oxygen to the country鈥檚 healthcare system. The first production plant was opened in 2014, providing oxygen to multiple counties across Kenya. Ten years down the line, Hewatele has scaled its operations to five PSA production plants in Kenya and one in Uganda, supplying more than 150 medical facilities.

, CEO of Hewatele, says the organisation realised during the peak of the pandemic that its current manufacturing model was not sustainable in the long term.

鈥淭he cost of manufacturing was quite high. We identified liquified medical oxygen via an ASU manufacturing model as the future for our production capabilities, which kicked off a lengthy due diligence process to raise capital for investment into the more energy efficient manufacturing technology, after realising that our PSA manufacturing dispensation were not fit for supporting our scaleup.鈥�

The older business planning software Hewatele was dependent on could not deliver inventory and financial information timely and accurately, leading to delays in decision-making.

鈥淲e had trouble explaining to the board that our systems just couldn鈥檛 deliver financial information real- time. 51风流has always been the blue-chip ERP solution, and considering our need to scale up information processing as we build out our new production capabilities, we made a strategic decision to migrate.鈥�

The company has since embarked on the first of a two-phase implementation process. Phase One focuses on financial and inventory processes as well as some manufacturing. A second phase, set to commence in Q1 of 2025, will cover the remaining areas of the business.

Hewatele chose implementation partner听 in Kenya to design and deploy the solution, which includes the flagship .听The solution, designed and deployed by VC ERP Consulting, will streamline Hewatele鈥檚 operations and improve decision-making by providing real-time insights into key business processes.

Tejas Chhabra, vice-president: 51风流enterprise solutions at VC ERP, says: 鈥淲e invested time upfront to delve deeper into the problem statement to allow us to develop a solution that goes to the root of the problem. The input and support from process owners within Hewatele, from finance to sales and inventory, was critical to our ability to design the solution.鈥�

Pooja Chhabra, finance SME and solution architect for the 51风流S/4HANA solution at Hewatele and the driving force behind the implementation, adds: 鈥淲e were laser focused on mapping the processes in a way the MIS Reporting become a lot simpler and automated, which was a critical requirement for Hewatele and their investors.鈥�

A component of the solution also looks at building a foundation for the future adoption of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Dr Wali says there is huge potential of AI in the business. 鈥淭echnologies such as AI can add value through greater efficiency, improved user experiences, and greater automation. Ultimately we want to achieve the highest levels of automation to ensure our customers get the best product at the best price, driven by efficiency and optimisation.鈥�

The team are now busy with centralising production to always ensure the highest standards of quality and reliability. 鈥淭hrough SAP鈥橲 world-class technology deployment, our organisation will also be future fit for regulatory compliance, while our team members will have access to some of the latest technology to support the vital work they do.鈥�

, regional sales director for emerging Africa at SAP, says: 鈥淥rganisations throughout the region are making vital investments in technology to unlock greater efficiency, optimise core processes, and establish a strong foundation for future innovation.

鈥淗ewatele鈥檚 outstanding implementation, supported by experienced partners at VC ERP, positions the organisation well as it prepares to scale up its life-saving production capabilities.鈥�

The post Hewatele Breathes Easy Following Vital 51风流Implementation appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Hardeep Sound, Regional Sales Director: Emerging Africa at SAP, noted that organisations throughout the region are investing in business transformation and technology for greater efficiency and resilience. “Interest in business AI and cloud ERP solutions are at an all-time high as companies seek to reimagine their business future by leveraging powerful technologies. Powered by the latest digital transformation capabilities and supported by a rich ecosystem of expert partners, companies throughout East Africa are accelerating their innovation efforts and unlocking new growth opportunities.”

The comments were made at 51风流Innovation Day Kenya, part of a series of global events held in key markets across the world. The Kenya event follows successful similar events held in South Africa and Nigeria in May and July respectively.

51风流Innovation Day Kenya brought together business and technology leaders from across the East Africa region to discuss the latest strategies and approaches to technology-led innovation. Key to the discussions was the role of business AI in powering the region’s next wave of innovation and growth.

Johannes Dressler, Managing Director for Emerging Africa at SAP, emphasised that East Africa is a strategic market for SAP, and is home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world. He noted that East African organisations can leverage technology to achieve sustainable growth and market competitiveness. 鈥淓very organisation in the region and globally is striving to understand how to leverage technologies such as AI, which have become necessities instead of luxuries. To remain competitive and thrive in turbulent markets, companies today need to connect their end-to-end processes and drive greater efficiency, innovation, revenue and profitability.鈥�

Interest in artificial intelligence is growing amid the promise of greater efficiency and scale. AI has also been identified as a key thematic focus by the Kenya National Innovation Agency’s , especially its application in developing innovative solutions for use in biotech, urban planning and climate change efforts.

Evert-Jan Tromp, Vice President for Cloud and Innovation: EMEA at SAP, highlighted that the current focus is on laying the foundation for organisations to adopt and derive value from technologies like AI. “Enterprises are transforming their capabilities to establish a clean core that can drive their success with AI and other emerging technologies. Here, our partner ecosystem plays a crucial role by helping companies understand the processes and best practices that accelerate adoption and maximize value realization.”

At a panel discussion held during the event, Martin Mwarangu, Group Chief Information Officer at the Kenya Tea Development Agency shared insight into his company鈥檚 transformation journey. The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) is a private company owned by 600 000 smallholder tea farmers spread across 16 tea-growing counties throughout Kenya.

鈥淭he business case for our transformation journey was to achieve greater efficiencies and cost-savings throughout our operations while centralising our data and establishing a solid foundation for our future transformation efforts,鈥� says Mwarangu. 鈥淥ne of our core objectives is the adoption of best practices, for example standardised financial reporting across our various business entities that would enable improved decision-making.鈥�

KTDA will continue to evaluate further innovations in their transformation journey. Mwarangu added: 鈥淲e are in the people business, with hundreds of thousands of suppliers and farmers and other players in our broader value chain, and intend to leverage SAP鈥檚 human capital management and supplier management solutions to enhance our capabilities.鈥�

The event also included the announcement of a significant deal signing with pioneering social enterprise Hewatele, which specialises in the supply of medical oxygen to over 150 facilities across Kenya. Hewatele made the strategic decision to adopt SAP’s next-gen Cloud ERP solution to streamline operations and enhance its ability to deliver critical medical supplies more efficiently.

Dumisani Moyo, Marketing Director at 51风流Africa, acknowledged Hewatele CEO听Dr. Zulfiqar Wali and CFO Joan Andia, highlighting the pivotal role that technology plays in shaping Africa鈥檚 future. 鈥淭his event serves as a testament to the continent’s growing digital maturity and the opportunities available for businesses that are ready to embrace innovation. This is not just about adopting new tools; it’s about transforming how businesses operate, engage with customers and stakeholders, and, importantly, how they drive sustainable growth, innovate rapidly with AI, and gain valuable data insights that can fuel their future success. We are thrilled to be at the forefront of this journey, empowering African enterprises to lead in the global marketplace through cutting-edge solutions and forward-thinking strategies.”

The post SAP, Business Leaders Meet to Discuss Innovation Potential for East Africa appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

World Bank data suggests . Over the past decade, the GDP contribution of the digital economy has grown at a rate two-and-a-half times faster than overall GDP growth.

Separate data has found that a 10% increase in mobile broadband access in less developed economies can .

For East Africa, the digital economy holds enormous opportunity, with the potential to power growth across every sector of the economy.

However, a pervasive lack of tech skills is impeding innovation efforts, hampering digital transformation initiatives and leaving organisations with a reduced capacity to deliver projects that could transform local economies.

听Tech skills in focus

reveals that four in five African organisations were affected negatively by a lack of tech skills in the past year. In Kenya, the main impacts of a lack of tech skills included more pressure on existing staff (cited by 78% of organisations), a lack of capacity to take on new projects (72%), and delays with completing existing projects (67%).

A third of organisations also experienced a loss of customers as the lack of tech skills capacity forced customers to seek support elsewhere.

This is concerning news for East Africa’s burgeoning tech sector, which not only has to compete with the thriving tech sectors in West and Southern Africa, but increasingly competes with more developed markets where tech skills may be more readily available.

It is also interesting to note the types of tech skills that East African organisations seek. The 51风流research reveals the most in-demand tech skills for Kenyan organisations are cybersecurity (in-demand at 67% of organisations), industry-specific tech skills (63%), data analytics (57%), and sales skills (47%).

The skills gap is all the more alarming when considering the youthful nature of the region’s population. More than 60% of Africa’s population is under the age of 25. Over the coming decades, 1.3-billion people will be born in Africa, pushing the continent’s population to over 2.5-billion by 2050. This will create the world’s largest youth workforce, which could – with the right investment – become a leading force powering the global economy.

Developing sustainable initiatives that use the region’s youth dividend to upskill and train a new generation of digital economy worker should be a top priority for East African governments and the private sector.

Filling the tech skills gap

In the short term, however, organisations have to take urgent steps to fill critical gaps and ensure their digital transformation and innovation efforts succeed.

Alarmingly, more than half (53%) of Kenyan organisations expect it likely that they will experience a tech skills gap in the year ahead.

While a lack of tech skills is a continent-wide challenge, East African economies can take bolder steps at addressing the ongoing skills shortage. Nearly three-quarters of Kenyan organisations rated the quality of tech skills emerging from the country’s education system as ‘excellent’ or ‘above average’, but had found that only 58% of students agreed that digitalisation is supported financially at their institution. The same study found that only 53% of Kenyan students often or always had access to a computer.

In the short term, organisations in the region are turning to a broad range of measures to improve skills availability. Eight in ten East African organisations prioritise skills development for current employees, while 43% focus on redeployment or reskilling of their workforce to fill critical skills gaps.

Encouragingly, only a third of organisations in the region invest 10% or less of their HR and IT budgets in skills development training. Twenty percent spend 15% of more of their IT or HR budgets on training. And four in ten want to partner with educational or training institutions to fill skills shortages.

Here, the role of initiatives such as the 51风流Skills for Africa initiative, which includes 51风流Young Professionals Program and the 51风流Dual Study Program, can play a vital role. The Young Professionals Program has already trained and graduated nearly 2000 young talents from 22 African countries, providing a steady stream of work-ready SAP-qualified tech skills to African public and private sector organisations.

Collaborating with broader digital transformation and skills initiatives is also vital. The African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy and the World Bank’s Digital Economy For Africa initiative that supports it could help regional economies harness the digital economy as a driver of growth and innovation.

In the end, however, it will be the responsibility of all public and private sector role players to ensure East Africa unlocks its vast human potential and develops the skills needed to turn the region into a leading player in the 21st century digital economy.

The post Close the Tech Skills Gap to Unlock East Africa’s Economic Growth appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

When one of Kenya鈥檚 leading state corporations, Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited, needed to enhance its procurement capabilities to meet its regulatory commitments, it adopted 51风流to leverage the power and scale of the largest procurement network in the world.

鈥淥ur vision is to be the leading interconnector in Africa, and to achieve that we needed access to world class procurement capabilities that would unlock greater automation, control, consistency and scale,鈥� says David Kariuki, ICT Manager at KETRACO.

鈥淲e chose 51风流Business Network to automate and enhance our procurement processes and ensure our vital work continues even during the most disruptive times of the pandemic.鈥�

KETRACO is a fully government-owned state corporation with a mandate to plan, design, construct, operate and maintain Kenya’s national transmission grid. Since it was incorporated in 2008, the company has made efforts to strengthen and extend the national power transmission grid to enhance the quality, reliability and security of electricity supply in Kenya.

The company鈥檚 51风流journey began in 2016 after it implemented 51风流ECC with best-practice modules. The implementation won KETRACO gold at the 51风流Quality Awards for both Africa and the greater EMEA region.

Waldorf visit sparks 51风流Business Network interest

鈥淧art of the award involved a team from our company visiting the 51风流headquarters in Waldorf,鈥� says Kariuki. 鈥淗ere we were introduced to 51风流Business Network for the first time, and saw the exciting product innovation road-map for the Business Network. We knew that this is where our technology roadmap would lead.鈥�

In 2018, a Presidential Directive was issued, compelling all state-owned corporations to migrate their procurement platforms to an e-procurement solution with integration to an IFMS portal. This was one of the catalysts for KETRACO鈥檚 adoption of 51风流Business Network, which Kariuki and his team implemented in two phases.

The first phase involved the deployment of 51风流Business Network Commerce Automation, a cloud service that enables the electronic exchange of procurement documents between buyers and suppliers through the 51风流Business Network, the largest procurement network in the world.

In the second phase of the project, the team implemented the 51风流Business Network Sourcing Suite.

“We identified three modules that would add the most value to our organisation, namely Supplier Lifecycle, Contract Management, and the main Sourcing module,” explains Kariuki.

Successful deployment aids continuity during pandemic

The implementation was supported by 51风流Customer Success Services, who led the technical and functional deployment and enabled continuous knowledge-sharing and training to ensure a successful and sustainable solution post go-live.

KETRACO went live with the solution just as the pandemic arrived. “By automating our processes in Ariba, we were able to completely eliminate paper-based processes,” says Kariuki. “Our suppliers were able to receive purchase orders, invoices and other procurement documents electronically. This enabled us to continue more or less with business-as-usual despite not having physical contact due to lockdown restrictions.”

The electronic invoicing also allowed KETRACO to centralise all its invoicing and have one l repository for receiving invoices.

“Suppliers were able to track the status of their invoices and see when they could expect payment. The 51风流Business Network also allowed us to monitor and manage our suppliers from a single point of view and have a 360-degree view of their data and performance,” said Kariuki.

He points to the 51风流Business Network’s ability to help KETRACO manage the special category of suppliers that include youth, women and persons with disabilities.

“The system allowed us to continuously register this group and categorize them in the system, while giving them the opportunity to participate in bids as required by the PPAD Act.”

One of the key highlights since the implementation is KETRACO鈥檚 ability to continue its procurement processes even during hard lockdown.

鈥淒espite the impact of the COVID – 19 pandemic on our operations, we were able to successfully manage a massive tender event that attracted hundreds of suppliers. With pandemic protocols in place, we would not have been able to handle the bids received were it not for the amazing efficiency of our new 51风流Business Network system. The experience made us fully appreciate the value of procurement,鈥� Kariuki said.

Hardeep Sound, Regional Sales Director for East Africa at SAP, says: 鈥淧ublic procurement plays a vital role in economic development is a core competency of leading state corporations. KETRACO鈥檚 superb utilisation of technology through its adoption of 51风流Business Network, solid buy-in and support from the leadership team and smart investment in effective change management have helped establish a powerful foundation that will support KETRACO鈥檚 vital procurement processes and ensure it can meet its critical mandate for years to come.鈥�

The post KETRACO Powers Procurement Prowess with 51风流Ariba appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Focused at first on ensuring business continuity, investment into cloud technologies and digitalisation has since helped organisations in the region build greater resilience and unlock new business models and revenue streams.

Even the most reluctant businesses and their customers have now come online. One of the reasons is that the benefits of greater digitalisation became clear almost immediately.

Businesses that took the opportunity at the outset to build new capabilities, establish new revenue streams or transform their business models rapidly gained an advantage over those that were slower to transform.

Consider how the retail sector embraced technology to adapt to lockdown restrictions and reach customers, sell products and improve visibility over volatile supply chains. Many of the businesses that digitised with speed now enjoy the benefit of more resilient business models that are better suited to the demands of the modern economy.

Cloud at heart of region’s future success

For businesses across East Africa, the cloud presents a unique opportunity to innovate, develop new products and services, and scale into new markets or geographies.

Cloud technologies offer access to services and capabilities that are prohibitively costly for most companies to build themselves. By adopting cloud solutions for key business processes, organisations can drive greater efficiency and optimise their business processes without the upfront capital outlay of on-premise solutions.

Taking advantage of the wealth of cloud-based ‘as-a-service’ solutions can also augment internal capabilities and unlock access to supplier networks, tech skills and other capabilities that were previously out of reach.

Many businesses have experienced the benefits of such services when the first lockdowns created the need to enable remote work capabilities. By leveraging cloud technologies, businesses could maintain communication with teams and customers and ensure continuity. Today, cloud technologies play a central role in transforming how organisations measure, manage and motivate their hybrid workforce.

As the ripple effects of the pandemic travelled through the global economy, businesses turned to cloud technologies to improve visibility over their supply chains and assist with planning and risk mitigation. When a different, post-pandemic customer emerged, one that demanded greater personalisation, convenience and choice, organisations could once again leverage the power of cloud technologies to enable new ways of engagement with customers.

Once-in-a-generation opportunity

Now, the region faces a golden opportunity to drive innovation and achieve new gains across their internal and customer-facing operations by leveraging the cloud.

revealed that some East African industries have taken the lead with cloud adoption, including the banking, marketing, agriculture and education sectors.

Considering the importance of manufacturing and tourism to the regional economy, organisations operating in these industries should leap at the opportunity to digitise.

Business-to-business spending in Africa’s manufacturing sector , and the sector is well-placed to grow and become more competitive through digitisation. By building Industry 4.0 capabilities underpinned by the cloud, manufacturers could unlock the benefits of AI and robotic process automation with predictive analytics to gain unprecedented control, predictability and operational efficiency.

The tourism sector was one of the hardest hit by pandemic restrictions as international travel came to a total standstill at the peak of the pandemic. Considering the sector contributed 8.1% to the region’s GDP in 2019, the impact of the restrictions on local businesses could not be overstated.

By leveraging the cloud to build new ways of engaging with travellers and removing friction from the travel process, the tourism sector could tap into a global tourism sector hungry for new experiences.

Three focus areas for cloud success

Businesses will benefit from choosing priority areas for cloud deployment that can deliver the greatest benefit with the shortest time-to-value, and use the learnings to drive adoption in other areas of the business.

Based on our work helping organisations in East Africa leverage the cloud for business success, the following key focus areas could offer the most valuable starting points for cloud adoption:

1. Innovate, innovate, innovate

East Africa can benefit from greater investment into innovation and research and development to improve the region’s global competitiveness and lure foreign direct investment.

The pharmaceutical sector, for example, holds enormous potential for research and development initiatives that can drive economic growth and create new industries while also reducing our need to import product and service innovations.

Regional innovators could consider to leverage the experience and market insight of cloud service providers with experience supporting pharmaceutical innovation. This can help avoid costly mistakes, close the gap on best practice, and ensure there is an optimal technology mix to support innovation. As an example, 18 of the world鈥檚 20 largest vaccine manufacturers run their production facilities using 51风流technology, so any new facility can tap into SAP鈥檚 domain knowledge to fast-track success.

2. Remove uncertainty from decision-making

The continued volatility in the global economy has created an environment of uncertainty that is hampering growth and innovation. To remove some of this uncertainty, organisations should invest in enterprise resource planning solutions to achieve greater clarity and control over key business functions and core processes.

Cloud adoption can also unlock access to data and analytics capabilities that can empower decision-makers with accurate insights over their businesses, enabling them to guide the business through challenges more effectively.

3. Aim for speed

One of the greatest advantages cloud offers is speed. Instead of spending long periods of time building on-premise capabilities, businesses can readily tap into a wealth of cloud-based solutions to immediately enjoy efficiency and innovation gains.

For mid-market organisations, this could unlock opportunities to quickly test new digital channels and trial new business processes. Successful trials can be rapidly scaled to the rest of the business or to new geographies, powering their growth.

The post Cloud, Innovation Key to East Africa’s Economic Growth appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

听had its first-ever 鈥渄rive event鈥� in Nairobi for customers and partners in November 2022 to explain more about business innovation and transformation and to show companies how with the right technology and insights, and with the right partner, they can grow exponentially.

51风流bills itself as the听鈥渃oolest software company you have never heard of鈥�听running the critical systems of top companies in diverse industries like ice cream, pet food, beauty products, and finance where 77% of all global transactions go through an 51风流system.

Excerpts:

Why Innovate?听Hardeep Sound, the 51风流Regional Director, East Africa said that since 2000, 52% of the Fortune 500 companies have gone out of business. In Kenya, household names like Intercontinental and Tuskys were among the 1,300 and 2,530 companies that folded shop in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

The pace of growth has also accelerated in recent years; whereas between 1955 to 2011 it took a Fortune 500 company 20 years to reach a billion-dollar valuation, today they are getting there in 4 years. He said that companies in Kenya could enhance their value by mining customer data, doing analytics, managing customer relationships and experiences, managing human resources, digitizing supply chains, and monitoring how they spend their resources.

Easy Connections:听Stanley Dube, SAP鈥檚 Head of Presales in Africa explained how Nokia sold 126 million model 3310 devices, and while his still works 22 years on, the company is a shell of its past. He said that one teaches people how to use phones and applications 鈥� they simply buy new devices and start using apps, without realizing how they are partners with companies like Apple and Google who do software updates and backups in the cloud. And if someone loses their phone, they can recover everything back in a matter of hours on a new device.

He likened owing a phone to SAP鈥檚 vision to enable companies to be intelligent and sustainable enterprises to deliver business and societal outcomes, with SAP鈥檚 modular ERP in the cloud that can manage finance, procurement, manufacturing, warehousing, asset management, research, supply chain and human resources combining 50 years of experience and meeting 80% of the enterprise needs of most companies. SAP鈥檚 ERP can connect with apps from other technology vendors while they also have a store that has 2,000 applications where companies can find products that others have built and which they can use.

Aside from the savings that can be 20% to 30% over five years from having 51风流run backups, operations, data centres, software, licenses, and maintenance, it frees up managers from doing things like generating reports and shifting to do other things that can add value to companies like strategic planning.

Finding Value in Data:听Bhavesh Chavda, Senior Director of Business Technology (BTP) Platform, spoke of the importance of harnessing data; it鈥檚 not just about migrating data from an unsafe on-site server room to the cloud, companies also must assess the quality and timeliness of their data for it to be useful and accessible and interrogated by management and by other applications. He said managers should be able to interrogate data, without knowing how to do any coding听(鈥渘o-code, low-code鈥�). The 51风流BTP cleans up enterprise data and enables data-driven decisions, with continuous automation, low code extensions, and application testing. The BTP discovery centre is a free tier to try out for companies to connect, automate, and innovate and 12,000 customers around the world use BTP. He said that SAP鈥檚 ERP can connect even with third-party apps while companies can sign on to the free business technology platform (BTP) and start building on new applications.

Rapid Feedback with SAP:听Sherif Hamoudah, Head of Ecosystems & Channels for 51风流Signavio spoke about 51风流Signavio, a transformational system that enables companies to do what used to take consulting teams months to do. Signavio drills through 60 different processes for enterprise transformation within a day, spotting redundancies and inefficiencies and recommending fixes that have been adopted by other organizations for continuous improvement. He gave examples from the auto industry where semiconductor shortages are affecting car manufacturing, and in finance, where global firms are using Signavio for risk compliance.

Using Data to Drive Revenue:听Rais David, Senior Customer Experience Solutions Specialist 51风流spoke of the value of data and the importance of using current data to discern trends in revenue. Google is phasing out cookies by the end of 2023 and this is at a time when mobile e-commerce accounts for $511 billion or 7.5% of all sales. At the same time, $93 billion of online sales are abandoned each year because customers find there are too many steps to complete a purchase transaction. 51风流systems manage 3 billion consumer data identities, while protecting their privacy, and process $570 billion making them the 7th largest entity in sales.

Fast Turnaround on Implementation:听Lewi Maina, Consulting Services Manager at 51风流emphasized the importance of businesses being quick to implement changes if they are to thrive in fast-changing environments. He said that once they took a path, they should aim for a quick turnaround time for projects as he said that some companies in Africa can now deploy Rise and other 51风流projects in a few weeks. This is a takeaway from previous transformation projects at companies that took up to three years. He said that the five keys to a successful deployment were implementing cloud with an agile mindset, using preconfigured solutions, leveraging on modern integration and extension technologies, and ensuring transparent documentation on deviations.

At the drive event, testimony was shared from some clients of 51风流including;

• David Kariuki, ICT & Innovation Manager of the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO), the state agency that builds high voltage transmission lines across Kenya. In 2018 after the government asked entities to take procurement online and plug into their central procurement system, known as IFMIS, KETRACO chose SAP鈥檚 Ariba as it sought to replace a manual procurement process where suppliers brought in envelopes and huge booklets of tender documents to be reviewed and scored in a time-consuming and laborious process. After a long process of digitization, standardizing procurement, tracking activities to reduce time loss, and overcoming supplier resistance, KETRACO, which was one of the first companies in East Africa to deploy SAP鈥檚 Ariba is now a centre of benchmarking for e-procurement. They also have access to innovation, as 51风流updates come over the cloud quarterly for them to adopt.
• John Wachira the Group Manager of Information Technology at the Safal Group (popularly known for its Mabati Rolling Mills products) spoke about the complex deployment with 51风流to consolidate the group鈥檚 36 operations that are in eight countries. They are in the second phase now to consolidate the end-to-end manufacturing, downstream operations, and commercial operations into one standard business environment on the cloud. They have gone live in six countries with two to go.

This article first appeared on the .

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Over 600,000 smallholder tea farmers affiliated to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) are reaping the harvest of a silent technological rollout that has streamlined the operations of their factories, making the tea business more efficient and technology driven.

Boost to payment efficiency, analytical insights

The deployment of 51风流by KTDA and its managed factories has provided analytical tools that are used for better decision making while making payment for farmers鈥� green leaf efficient and quick. It has also drastically improved payment processing and enhanced end-to-end visibility for better controls and safeguards.

鈥淲e wanted a solution to bring all our factories into a single system that would improve every aspect of our operations, from production planning and quality management to sales, distribution and payroll,鈥� says KTDA CEO Wilson Muthaura. 鈥淭his was no mean feat since there are more than 600,000 farmers paid every month for green leaf supplied as well as over 10,000 employees working across the organisation. However, following this successful rollout, all farmers are now paid through our 51风流system, reducing processing time by more than 80 per cent.鈥�

KTDA Holdings Ltd is a wholly owned farmers company which has invested in various subsidiary companies along the tea value chain in Kenya. Through the KTDA Management Services company, the operations on 71 factories are seamlessly managed and 51风流has come in handy in enhancing operational efficiencies with the aim of increasing transparency and profitability in the businesses.

The Agency has seven subsidiaries and a Foundation providing specialised services across the tea value chain, including factory management, engineering, insurance, tea trading and warehousing, credit provision and power production.

In late 2021, KTDA revised its monthly green leaf payment timelines to the first week of the following month. Payments for deliveries had previously been made on the third week of the following month. The change, aided by efficient payment processing through SAP, translated to faster access of farmers鈥� cash to meet their daily needs and align the payment to farmers鈥� monthly obligations.

The system also allows the Agency to easily incorporate other items like loans and inputs (like fertilizer) issued to the payment process allowing for easy and seamless recoveries.

Martin Mwarangu, Group General Manager for ICT Services at KTDA, says: 鈥淲e worked with experienced 51风流partner, OneConnect Technologies, to implement 51风流ERP Central Component and Business Intelligence, covering end-to-end processes across KDTA’s operations.鈥�

System unlocks benefits across value chain

Besides payment processing, different modules of 51风流have delivered multiple benefits including production planning and management and a full visibility of tea sales.

鈥�51风流has digitally transformed the KTDA business and made it technologically ready to adopt any future solutions that would further enhance business efficiencies. The wealth of data generated is important in decision making and forecasting,鈥� says KTDA Management Services Managing Director Julius Onguso.

Plant maintenance has also been enhanced with a solution that ensures proper maintenance and provides greater visibility over costs associated with equipment. In addition, all transactions are now updated to general ledgers and relevant cost/profit centres in real time, giving the finance team full visibility over the organisation鈥檚 operations.

The Agency has also rolled out a sales and distribution module that allows all tea selling processes to be done on one system; from raising sales orders; tea dispatch and revenue management.

The 51风流solution generates a wealth of data and has embedded business analytical tools that generate reports and dashboards extensively used by decision makers to glean insights and make better decisions for the business.

Thirty-two KTDA-managed factories are currently running on the 51风流solution, making reporting and intercompany integration easier. The deployment of 51风流also means there is a uniformity and consistency in how each of the factories are run. The Agency is working to have all other factories deploy the solution for group-wide benefit.

Hardeep Sound, Regional Sales Director for East Africa at SAP, adds: 鈥淔acing inefficiency and a lack of visibility over critical business processes, KTDA embraced the benefits of the latest technology to completely transform their end-to-end business functions. As KTDA continues to play a vital role in in the broader Kenyan economy as well as directly in the lives of more than smallholder farmers, having real-time visibility over the entire organisation鈥檚 processes will bring vast improvements to its operations benefitting all stakeholders.鈥�

The post Kenya Tea Development Agency Brews Perfect Technology Mix appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Sound previously worked as a Consultant at Deloitte in Kenya, and then as a Technical Trainer and Infrastructure Consultant at InfoSys in Ethiopia.

He joined Microsoft as a Senior Consultant in 2003 and went on to become the Specialist Sales Unit Manager in 2010.

Sound also worked at Oracle in Kenya from 2013 to 2019 鈥� first as a Senior Sales Manager and then as a Sales Director.

In this What鈥檚 Next interview, Sound joins Aki Anastasiou to discuss how private and public sector organisations in Africa can accelerate their digital transformation through the cloud.

He explains how the cloud provides innovation and agility to businesses of all sizes and unpacks which aspects businesses should focus on when moving to the cloud.

Sound then highlights the impact of digital transformation in the East Africa region and explains how 51风流technologies are helping businesses in these regions to succeed.

Finally, Sound explains how businesses can get in touch with 51风流to begin their digital transformation journey.

The full interview with SAP鈥檚 East Africa Regional Director, Hardeep Sound, is embedded below.

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The post What鈥檚 Next 鈥� SAP鈥檚 Hardeep Sound Talks About Accelerating Digital Transformation in Africa appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

However, as East Africa’s economic engine kicks back into gear, the vital task of looking beyond immediate recovery toward longer-term economic growth and prosperity takes centre stage.

Today, the urgent question is: what investments into new tools, technologies and policies can be made now to build a stronger and more equitable regional economy in the decade ahead?

I would argue that the region could benefit most from investments into youth skills development, adoption of cloud technologies to unlock market expansion opportunities, and focused attention on the agricultural sector, which is critical to both employment and food security across East Africa.

Activating the youth skills pool

Africa’s abundant and growing youth population has been widely discussed as an opportunity for the continent to drive the world’s economic engine in the decades ahead. With populations in much of the developed world expected to decline during the 21st century, Africa’s surplus of youthful talent could play a vital role in preventing a skills shortage and ensuring ongoing economic growth.

However, much work needs to be done, and with urgency. A recent survey of tertiary education institutions in East Africa found that . Only 53% of respondents from Kenya – and only 17% in Ethiopia – indicated that their students often or always have access to a computer.

The growth of the digital economy and the automation of mundane tasks through technological innovation means low-skill clerical work is increasingly being done by machines and algorithms. For our region’s youth to have opportunities for successful careers that can help grow local economies, more emphasis needs to be placed on digital skills development that equips youth for high-value tasks.

Initiatives such as 51风流Africa Code Week, which draws in millions of youths every year in a continent-wide effort at inspiring a love for digital technologies and coding, play an important role at the grassroots level. Vitally, Africa Code Week’s Train-the-Trainer program also equips teachers with valuable skills that can be transferred to youth throughout the academic year.

Graduate employment and skills development initiatives such as the Young Professionals Program helps to close the gap between academic knowledge and business-ready skills. This serves the dual purpose of providing career development and employment opportunities for youth and ensuring a steady supply of fit-for-purpose skills to public and private sector organisations.

Climate change raises stakes in food security

Agriculture remains one of the continent’s most important economic sectors, .

Data indicates a large reserve of untapped potential in the African agricultural sector. McKinsey estimates to add 20% to global grain and cereal supplies with several key interventions. These include yield improvements through better use of fertilisers, weather data and technology, as well as land expansion and post-harvest yield loss reduction.

Investing in appropriate tools, technologies and training could unlock vast economic growth for both the millions of smallholder farmers and their dependent communities as well as local economies.

Such support should be provided with urgency considering the growing impact of climate change on our continent. Recent data indicates that , a situation that will only be exacerbated as the changing climate unleashes adverse weather conditions including floods, droughts, more severe seasons, and wildcard events such as the recent locust swarms that have decimated farming activity across large parts of the region.

Tools such as 51风流Rural Sourcing Management can play a vital role in empowering smallholder farmers with better data and knowledge while unlocking greater market opportunities.

Rural Sourcing Management is a cloud-based supply chain management tool that connects smallholder farmers to the agricultural value chain and has been used to significant effect in the region, including in deployments to support the Africa Cashew Initiative and the Uganda Coffee Farmers Alliance.

Leapfrogging legacy underdevelopment

Most of Africa lacks legacy infrastructure development in technology and connectivity, with key technologies from the previous wave of innovation, such as fixed broadband, having largely missed the continent.

While this has stunted growth and development in some cases, it has also created an opportunity now for public and private sector organisations to build fit-for-purpose infrastructure instead of having to repurpose outdated technologies.

As the African Union notes in its Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa, where the continent can adopt modern digital technologies faster and without hindrance.

Such efforts must include a focus on cloud technologies, as these scale more easily as enterprises grow and can more readily enable expansion into new territories or market segments.

The role of the continent’s specialist tech implementation companies cannot be overstated: as businesses increasingly look to unlock the benefits of the cloud, the implementers serve as partners and guides, helping organisations adopt new tools and processes without undue disruption to their operations.

Initiatives such as RISE with 51风流further ease adoption by providing organisations with a tested model for deploying cloud technologies as well as best-practice playbooks that eliminate the trial and error associated with large-scale business transformation efforts.

The post Beyond Recovery: Tech’s Role in Building a Fit-for-purpose East African Economy appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Robin Chumari, Siginon Group鈥檚 ICT Manager adds, “We had been using 51风流BusinessOne to support our operations since 2010 but following a period of rapid growth across the business, we sought a more powerful business transformation platform. Key to our requirements was a platform that could ease our inter-company accounting processes, enhance consolidated accounting, optimize our data analytics and business intelligence capabilities, customer relationship management and kick off our strategic cloud migration. We chose to migrate from 51风流BusinessOne to the more feature-rich 51风流ByDesign.”

According to Robin, the migration to 51风流ByDesign has helped to improve its consolidated accounting practices and reduced the time and work needed to produce periodic reports. “We are also putting our enhanced business analytics into practice, which is enabling faster decision-making, while our CRM rollout will benefit our commercial team and improve tracking of sales conversions. Overall this has aligned well to our general strategy of being infrastructure-light by adopting market-leading cloud offerings.”

Siginon Group was supported throughout the implementation by experienced 51风流partners A-Softech. Robin says the partner’s input on industry best practices especially from an accounting perspective has been nothing short of phenomenal. “Our partners’ ability to support our change management processes and help train our end-users has had a significant impact on the success of this implementation.”

Since the implementation of 51风流ByDesign, Siginon Group has unlocked a range of business benefits, including:

• Consolidation of a single source of data for financial planning and reporting
• Integrating with multiple platforms and customers
• Enhanced reporting and better adoption and use of industry best practices
• Improved access to dashboards and KPI tracking for management
• Improved system uptime.

“Our integration with operational systems allows for better and more accurate feedback to customers on their account status,” says Robin. “Managerial dashboards and data analytics enable quicker response to issues that could affect customers, helping us improve our retention and mitigation processes to the benefit of our customers in whichever sector. We do feel that this system is in line with our corporate aim to keep Powering Trade for our customers in the different economic sectors they鈥檙e in. Overall the project has been a huge success.”

Hardeep Sound, Regional Sales Director for East Africa at SAP, says: “African enterprises are shifting to infrastructure-light cloud services to unlock greater efficiency and scalability and be better placed to meet changing customer demands. By migrating to a more powerful business platform that can support its ambitious growth plans, Siginon Group with the expert support of A-Softech has established a powerful foundation for the company’s continued growth and success.鈥�

The post Siginon Group Catalyzes Growth Potential with 51风流ByDesign appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.