That message landed at a pivotal moment. Renewable power capacity reached聽, with solar, wind and hydropower accounting for about 40% of global electricity generation.聽聽of new power capacity additions now come from renewables. Yet deployment rates still fall short of the COP28 goal to triple installed capacity to around 11 TW by 2030.

Behind every gigawatt of clean power sits a minerals story. Lithium demand is expected to聽. Cobalt demand is projected to rise by 50鈥�60%, copper by around 30%, while graphite and nickel are set to at least double. Securing reliable, diversified supply chains for these materials has become a strategic priority for governments and corporates alike 鈥� and the geopolitical competition to secure them is intensifying.

Africa indispensable to energy transition

Africa sits at the heart of this equation. The continent holds聽. The Democratic Republic of Congo supplies over 70% of global cobalt. Zambia remains one of the world鈥檚 major copper producers. Zimbabwe has emerged as Africa鈥檚 leading lithium producer, while South Africa聽.

Little wonder, then, that the continent has become a focal point of geopolitical competition. The EU鈥檚 Critical Raw Materials Act, which entered into force in 2024, sets binding targets to diversify supply away from single-country dependence. The United States has committed over $4-billion to the Lobito Corridor connecting the DRC and Zambia to Angola鈥檚 Atlantic port, with total global investment now exceeding $6-billion. China, meanwhile, has stakes in fifteen of the DRC鈥檚 nineteen cobalt mines and continues to expand its Belt and Road footprint across the continent. For African producers, this convergence of competing interests creates both leverage and risk.

Yet this enormous potential is聽. Regulatory uncertainty, infrastructure deficits in power and transport, skills shortages, environmental pressures and illegal mining all heighten risk. Despite its resource base, Africa attracts less than 10% of global exploration spending.

Without policy coherence, infrastructure investment and transparent governance, Africa faces what might be called a 鈥済reen resource curse鈥�: exporting raw ore while importing finished technology and foregoing industrialisation. Consider that the DRC exports cobalt at a fraction of the price battery-grade cobalt hydroxide commands on world markets. Zimbabwe ships raw spodumene while lithium hydroxide, the processed product automakers actually need, is refined almost entirely in China. If the energy transition simply replicates old extractive patterns under a green label, Africa鈥檚 mineral wealth will once again benefit others more than its own citizens.

Coordination holds the key

Modern mining is no longer a purely extractive business. It is a data-driven, multi-stakeholder ecosystem that must integrate geological modelling, capital allocation, environmental performance, community engagement, logistics and global supply-chain compliance. Technology is the coordination fabric that links these moving parts.

Integrated digital platforms now give stakeholders a shared view of reserves, project timelines, ESG metrics and logistics flows. By reducing information asymmetry, they聽聽between miners, governments, development finance institutions and private investors. In an era where climate finance and transition-minerals funding depend on transparency, digital traceability is foundational.

Advanced analytics and AI are reshaping core mining processes. Digital twins allow operators to simulate mine design, production scenarios and environmental impacts before committing capital. Predictive maintenance reduces unplanned downtime and extends asset life. Across major operations, these tools are compressing exploration timelines and lifting productivity measurably.

Equally important for African producers seeking to move beyond raw exports is supply-chain integration. Digital commodity platforms that connect contracts, logistics, pricing and ESG attributes can help African refiners and processors demonstrate responsible sourcing at scale. This matters because the EU鈥檚 due-diligence requirements and the US Inflation Reduction Act increasingly reward traceable, locally processed minerals with green premiums and preferential market access. Technology thus becomes an enabler not just of efficiency, but of beneficiation and in-country value addition.

Meeting operational and ESG demands

Enterprise technology platforms such as those offered by 51风流play a strategic role by providing the operational backbone across planning, asset management, procurement, logistics and ESG reporting. When a mid-tier miner can compress its sustainability reporting cycle from weeks to days, or a junior explorer can present investors with independently verified ESG data alongside geological assays, the conversation with capital markets shifts. Cloud ERP systems that integrate production data with financials in real time, embedded Business AI that flags maintenance risks before they become failures, and human capital management tools that track scarce skills and certifications all translate directly into bankability and investor confidence.

Crucially, the same platforms that manage production can also measure environmental and social impact. By combining operational and ESG data, mining companies can model emissions, water use and community outcomes and share evidence-based reporting with regulators and investors. In a capital-intensive sector where financing increasingly depends on sustainability credentials, this digital transparency becomes a competitive advantage.

Africa鈥檚 mining sector is therefore not just a supplier of transition minerals but a test case for how the energy transition can be aligned with industrial development. With the right policies, infrastructure corridors, skills programmes and digital coordination frameworks, critical minerals can underpin new refining capacity, regional value chains and millions of jobs.聽聽鈥� 鈥淪tronger together: Progress through partnerships鈥� 鈥� was well chosen. If Africa鈥檚 mineral potential remains constrained by fragmentation and mistrust, global decarbonisation will slow. If, however, stakeholders act in concert, using technology as the connective tissue and beneficiation as the organising principle, Africa can move from raw-materials exporter to central architect of the net-zero economy.

This article first appeared in magazine.

The post With Better Coordination, Africa could be Architect of Net-zero Economy appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

KTDA Group Chief Executive Officer, Wilson Muthaura said the agency was executing a comprehensive transformation strategy anchored on sustainability, innovation and farmer-centric governance.

He said KTDA鈥檚 singular goal was to maximise value for farmers while building a world-class, future-ready tea enterprise.

Muthaura revealed that KTDA had launched a major internal restructuring effort to ensure that the transformation and intended goals were achieved.

He added that the agency鈥檚 board had established ten cross-functional management committees to drive efficiency, reduce costs and accelerate value addition.

The GCEO said the committees would also identify business opportunities along the entire value chain from farm to factory and all the way to the market.

鈥淭hese committees are actively feeding into our newly developed KTDA Group Strategic Plan, which aims to future-proof our operations,鈥� he added.

He explained that the transformation strategy was not a top-down process since it was arrived at after a landmark meeting, the first of its kind since the Tea Act reforms of 2020 which was convened by KTDA chairman.

鈥淎ll the 71 factory unit managers and KTDA鈥檚 senior leadership came together to co-develop a roadmap that ensures every decision made benefited the farmer.,鈥� he said.

Muthaura said KTDA鈥檚 main objective was to ensure that farmers received not just better prices but better services.

鈥淭he services range from enhancing fertiliser distribution and leaf collection logistics to upgrading factory efficiency and introducing traceability tools,鈥� he said.

The GCEO observed that implementation of the Systems, Applications and Products (SAP) enterprise system was already streamlining operations across KTDA thereby ensuring smarter, data-driven decisions.

He said KTDA had enhanced its digital backbone to create more agile processes and eliminate inefficiencies.

鈥淭he agency is doubling down on communication and farmer engagement to ensure that growers are not just recipients of services, but co-owners of the solutions because they are shareholders, stakeholders, and strategic partners,鈥� he said.

This article first appeared on .

The post KTDA puts Strategies in Place to Transform 鈥楩armers First’ Philosophy into Actionable Systems appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

So, what are the most common pitfalls that arise during corporate travel, and how can they be navigated to enhance the experience? Here are a few vital insights drawn from industry experts.

The credit card conundrum

Imagine landing in a new country after three exhausting flights, only to discover that your corporate credit card has been declined at the hotel check-in. This scenario is all too familiar for travellers who face unexpected holds on their cards from car rental companies or accommodations. In South Africa, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often expect their employees to cover substantial costs upfront, leading to further complications.

Herman Heunes, General Manager at Corporate Traveller, highlights the solution: 鈥淐redit facilities with your travel management company alleviate the burden of direct payments for each transaction.鈥� With consolidated invoicing and a billback facility, travellers can focus on their work, not on playing 鈥渃redit card roulette.鈥�

The cash-only reality check

Despite the widespread acceptance of credit cards, many destinations, particularly in Africa, still favour cash transactions. 鈥淐ard acceptance can be limited, especially among smaller vendors or taxi services,鈥� explains Rategang Moroke, Operations Manager at Corporate Traveller. When cash is necessary, travellers might be forced to use international electronic transfers, which can take days to clear.聽This requires travellers to be aware of backup plans to prevent cash flow issues during their trips.

Currency fluctuations disrupt budgets

Arriving at your destination to find your carefully planned budget impacted by sudden exchange rate changes can be disheartening. One day, your planned R500 dinner morphs into R700 thanks to a volatile currency market. While travel management companies like Corporate Traveller typically book flights and stays in South African rands to mitigate this risk, unexpected expenses can still arise.

Moroke emphasises the necessity of incorporating realistic currency buffers of at least 10-15% into trip budgets to accommodate these fluctuations, especially for SMEs operating on tight margins.

Death by a thousand receipts

Ask any frequent flyer about their most dreaded post-trip task, and the answer will likely be: sorting through a jumble of crumpled receipts. Manual reconciliation is a time-consuming process and, for many, it raises anxiety levels. 鈥淔or clients using expense management systems, receipt management is largely automated, allowing for immediate upload via mobile apps,鈥� says Moroke. Unfortunately, many still manually submit their costs, leading to delays and increased frustration.

Bridging the 鈥榓pproved budget鈥� gap

Frequent travellers are all too familiar with the conversation that follows unplanned expenses, like opting for the last available hotel suite or an unexpected menu upgrade at a client dinner. Instantly, your R800 meal turns into a R1,200 bill, leading to sticky conversations upon return. To address out-of-policy spending, travel policies, pre-trip approvals, and transparent reporting are essential. 鈥淓xceptions are flagged and discussed with clients,鈥� explains Heunes, adding that persistent non-compliance can lead to disciplinary measures from compliance teams.

How to prepare for seamless travel

Before embarking on your next business trip, consider the following tips to navigate financial hurdles effectively:

While on the road:

The post Top Tips for Managing Costs During Business Travel appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates鈥� 5 August 2025 鈥� 51风流today announced that Grandiose Supermarket, a premier quality food and grocery retailer in the UAE with nearly 50 stores and part of the , has signed an agreement to implement as the digital backbone of its operations, integrated with 51风流Business AI.

This strategic partnership will empower Grandiose to deliver even more exceptional customer experiences, unlock AI-driven operational intelligence, and support its bold growth ambitions in the UAE鈥檚 dynamic retail landscape.

By adopting RISE with 51风流S/4HANA, hosted on , and integratingI, Grandiose aims to streamline its supply chain, enhance stock visibility and improve replenishment planning. The solution will optimize product availability across branches while reducing instances of overstocking and understocking.

鈥淐ustomer experience is at the heart of everything we do at Grandiose,鈥� said , CEO Grandiose Supermarket. 鈥淧artnering with 51风流and leveraging 51风流Business AI helps us better understand our customers鈥� needs, predict trends, and exceed their expectations with seamless availability and personalized services. The resilience and optimization provided by SAP鈥檚 AI-infused solutions will help us automate core processes and focus more on value-added services that enrich the customer journey.鈥�

The implementation of 51风流S/4HANA will serve as the digital core for Grandiose鈥檚 operations, leveraging industry-specific vertical solutions tailored for the retail and food sectors. These out-of-the-box capabilities, combined with localized features for taxation and compliance based on SAP鈥檚 strong relationships with UAE customers, reduce the need for extensive customizations and accelerate time-to-value.

Central to this transformation is 51风流Business AI, which enhances Grandiose鈥檚 business applications with intelligent automation and deeper analytics. This empowers teams to offload routine work, analyze millions of data points for deeper insights into customer and supply chain behavior, and focus on strategic initiatives that drive innovation and growth. This AI-driven foundation ensures Grandiose can scale efficiently, opening new stores and entering new markets with intelligence built into every layer of the business.

鈥�51风流has become synonymous with family conglomerates and growth-driven businesses like the Ghassan Aboud Group, especially in the retail sector where innovation and resilience are essential,鈥� said , Managing Director, 51风流UAE. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to support Grandiose鈥檚 expansion with a future-ready platform powered by Business AI that enhances customer experience, optimizes operations, and drives continuous innovation.

As Grandiose continues to scale across the UAE and beyond, this transformation lays the groundwork for a more intelligent, responsive, and customer-centric retail model, setting a new benchmark for digital excellence in the UAE.

The post Grandiose Supermarket Partners with 51风流to Harness Business AI for Exceptional Customer Experiences and Scalable Growth appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

continues聽to invest meaningfully in technology as it battles for market share with Shoprite Group鈥檚 Sixty60 and other retailers in the fast-growing on-demand grocery delivery market.

Pick n Pay is in the midst of a turnaround after losing market share to competitors in recent years. In its 2023 financial year, it plunged into a loss 鈥� of a staggering R3.2-billion. Former CEO , who left the company in 2007, returned to the helm in September of that year to lead the turnaround effort.

Summers鈥� early bets appear to be paying off, with the retailer鈥檚 most recent update reporting Pick n Pay sales were up 3.6% year on year in its core South African supermarkets business for the 17 weeks to 29 June 2025. Turnaround efforts have included a partnership with First National Bank鈥檚 rewards programme. eBucks was previously partnered with Checkers.

Sixty60 got a head-start during the Covid-19 lockdowns when consumers 鈥� stuck at home 鈥� took to e-commerce with vigour. Around the same time 鈥� in October 2020 鈥� Pick n Pay acquired alcohol delivery app Bottles, which it would eventually use as the foundation for its own online platform, asap!.

Pick n Pay still has some way to go, though. Reports by both Pick n Pay and rival Shoprite last week show聽. But Pick n Pay is fighting back.

, who co-founded Bottles, now serves as head of online at Pick n Pay. Speaking to the聽聽in an episode that will be published this week, Ferigolli said recent changes to Pick n Pay鈥檚 customer-facing applications are only the tip of the iceberg in the retailer鈥檚 strategic tech arsenal.

鈥淚t started with a rebrand, and then we embarked on a journey whose first iteration we just concluded, where the app is now fully integrated into the larger Pick n Pay ecosystem. If you are a Smart Shopper, you can now earn points, for example, so it鈥檚 a really unified experience.鈥�

Overhaul

Pick n Pay in May聽, adding a raft of new features to the platform and expanding the product catalogue available to customers, too. Asap!鈥檚 revamp was accompanied by similar updates to the Pick n Pay website, whose roll-out started in June.

According to Ferigolli, changes to frontend, consumer-facing interfaces are only a small part of the work being done to ensure asap! leverages technology effectively.

鈥淲e have had do a lot more backend work than people think might think. Because people only see the frontend, they tend to think that is the bigger part, it isn鈥檛, it is probably only 20% [of the work],鈥� said Ferigolli.

The engine running Pick n Pay鈥檚 application ecosystem is built on Amazon Web Services cloud infrastructure. These include the asap! mobile app, the聽聽web app, a picking app for in-store runners who prepare customer orders, a driver app, and various other systems controlling core business functions such as marketing and merchandising.

Some parts of Pick n Pay鈥檚 e-commerce infrastructure run SAP. Early integration into the 51风流system by Bottles gave the start-up the ability to check stock levels at various stores and even report those to customers browsing the app, thereby improving the onling shopping experience. As the application grew, however, other systems and platforms were added.

鈥淸Technology] is everything in our industry (retail) and I cannot find another one right now that is so heavily impacted. It鈥檚 not just about online ordering, it鈥檚 other things, like implementing AI in our supply chain forecasting models,鈥� said Ferigolli.

Pick n Pay鈥檚 first foray into AI was not customer-facing at all, with developers using AI tools to help them develop code from as early as 2021. Asap!鈥檚 first customer-facing tool involved using AI to enhance the app鈥檚 search capabilities, and over time this grew into AI-driven product recommendations that formed the foundations of Pick n Pay鈥檚 鈥渉yper-personalisation鈥� strategy.

As online shopping evolves, improvements in computer vision and agentic AI will lead to home management systems able to replenish items like milk, sugar and cleaning supplies automatically as needed.

Ferigolli said these improvements in online shopping pose interesting questions about how the in-store shopping experience will evolve. As online shopping grows, Ferigolli estimates in-store shopping will still hold around 50% market share in the next decade and this will lead to large retailers adopting a more experiential approach to store layout and design.

鈥淭he exciting part is how beautiful the in-store shopping experience is going to become. You can now double the size of the bakery or the butchery and have store attendants to give the kind of experience customers usually get in an independent butchery. For a long time, we have said online is disrupting the stores, but I think it is not disruption but evolution. We are evolving as two parts that are critical the customer,鈥� he said.聽 鈥撀�漏 2025 NewsCentral Media

Get breaking news from TechCentral on WhatsApp.聽.

This article first appeared on .

The post From Bottles to Battle: How Pick n Pay is Turning to Tech in Retail Fight appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Industry growth is tapering down across several African markets. South Africa鈥檚 real retail growth has declined in recent years, constrained by economic stagnation and inflation. In East Africa, while GDP growth remains relatively strong, formal retail continues to be constrained by infrastructure gaps and logistical inefficiencies.

In response, retailers across the continent are scaling their technology investments to boost competitiveness in an increasingly digital and data-driven industry. According to聽Gartner聽(NYSE:), African retailers are projected to invest $300 million in cloud-based enterprise applications in 2025, with an expected growth of 10-12% over the next three years

And yet, many still struggle to translate these investments into meaningful business outcomes.

The triple disconnect holding retailers back

Fragmented systems, broken processes undermine scalability

Despite deploying multiple best-of-breed applications and investing in a data lake to centralise data, many retailers fail to achieve differentiated customer engagement, real-time visibility and reliability in their operations. Typical constraints include disconnected systems, a lack of business context within data sets, and AI bolted-on instead being embedded within operational workflows.

A pervasive industry pain point is the disconnected customer journeys caused by fragmented systems and broken processes. To illustrate: a customer may browse a product online, call the nearest store to check stock availability, visit in person and still find a different price to what was listed online. Or they may purchase the product online but be unable to return the product instore due to a disconnect between online and physical store data.

This is caused when customer data, inventory, pricing, and orders are not synchronised across channels. And it鈥檚 not just limited to customer experience 鈥� these fragmented processes are widespread across retail operations, often leading to operational inefficiencies and higher costs.

At the root of this problem is a disconnected application landscape. In fact, 66% of organisations say application sprawl and complexity hinder their digital goals, resulting in process inefficiencies and a lack of reliability in retail operations.

Data is an opportunity, but a challenge too

African retailers are sitting on mountains of data spanning point-of-sale systems, loyalty platforms, mobile apps, and third-party sources. But is this high volume, variety, and velocity of data being leveraged effectively to drive business outcomes?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Around 55% of business leaders cite poor data quality and fragmentation as the biggest obstacles to making data-driven decisions. Moreover, a disproportionate amount of time is spent on data management and building dashboards as against decision-making, underscoring the urgent need for more efficient processes.

AI without a solid foundation doesn鈥檛 scale

While there鈥檚 palpable excitement in boardrooms over the potential and power of AI, execution remains limited. One study found that nearly three-quarters of organisations are struggling to scale AI projects beyond pilot projects. African retailers face even greater challenges, including poor-quality data, outdated IT infrastructure, and a lack of AI-ready processes.

The result is AI initiatives that turn into isolated experiments that fail to deliver any meaningful ROI. Instead, retailers need to leverage a unified data platform that embeds AI directly into their business processes to scale AI initiatives effectively.

The power of a unifying platform

Leading retailers leverage a comprehensive, connected, and industry-specific suite of applications to confidently execute across their value chain. This helps ensure a consistent and reliable customer experience, minimising stock-outs, enabling fast, on-time delivery and delivering a seamless omni-channel journey. This reliability extends across store operations, finance, and support processes.

The , for example, enables this efficiency through automation, actionable insights, and process optimisation, while the 51风流Business Data Cloud provides seamless access to organisational data. Retailers also benefit from deep industry expertise and global context that helps them identify the correct application mix for integrating, harmonising and transforming business data across various applications.

This also provides the foundation to scale AI effectively across retail operations through unified, context-rich data that brings together sales, inventory, promotional, customer behaviour and other data. By connecting end-to-end processes, retailers can also embed AI and enable seamless cross-functional workflows while leveraging innovations from a rich ecosystem of partnerships.

Retailers leveraging SAP鈥檚 connected platform and AI capabilities report a 20-30% reduction in customer churn, 30-50% fewer stockout, an up to 40% increase in workforce productivity and 20-30% reduction in IT spend.

Realising Africa鈥檚 data-rich, AI-powered retail future requires bold steps to shift beyond legacy systems and redefine operations. By utilising a powerful business suite, retailers can unlock new end-to-end capabilities that bring together applications, data and AI for unrivalled competitiveness.

The post Unleashing Africa鈥檚 Retail Transformation appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

In this episode, we unpack the role of ERP systems and smallholder farmers in global agricultural supply chains 鈥� and how technology can bridge the gap between sustainability and productivity.

Hosted by:
Guests: 鈥� Solution Manager Agribusiness, 51风流and Carsten Friedland 鈥� Product Manager Agribusiness, MSG Global

Click the button below to load the content from YouTube.

Always allow YouTube

The post AFSUG Conversation Starters Episode 8 appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Kerr is the Founder and Director of Argon Supply Chain Solutions and is a 20+ year veteran in logistics and transport planning.

Before founding Argon Supply Chain Solutions, Kerr worked at many other prominent companies in South Africa.

This includes working as a 51风流EWM Solution Architect and Consultant for聽Pick n Pay, a 51风流EWM Consultant for Barloworld, a Mobile Specialist for OneArch Consulting, and a 51风流WM Consultant for Pioneer Foods.

Kerr is an 51风流Certified Associate and Application Professional specialising in 51风流solutions such as EWM, TM, SRM, WM, Mobility, and ATTP.

He also boasts a strong understanding of data collection technologies and supply chain solution architecture.

The interview

In this What鈥檚 Next interview, Kerr explains what Argon Supply Chain Solutions does and how retailers can maximise the potential of 51风流S/4HANA Cloud to streamline their operations and improve efficiencies.

He unpacks why having 51风流Supply Chain as part of the S/4HANA Cloud implementation is essential.

Kerr also discusses how 51风流improves vendor compliance and creates better retail practices.

He concludes the interview by sharing how he sees automation and AI features impacting supply chain solutions.

Watch the interview with Peter Kerr below.

Click the button below to load the content from YouTube.

Always allow YouTube

This article first appeared on .

The post What鈥檚 Next 鈥� Peter Kerr Unpacks how S/4HANA Cloud Implementations Improve Operational Efficiency appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

When financial services group began its ERP transformation journey more than a decade ago, the goal was ambitious: build a unified digital platform that could support operations across multiple African markets, streamline finance and procurement processes, and drive long-term business agility.

But large-scale transformation is rarely linear.

鈥淭he first phase of our transformation started in 2011, a few years after the Barclays acquisition,鈥� says , Head: FC Technology Enablement and Finance Business Sponsor for the 51风流rollout at Absa. 鈥淭he goal was to move all African entities onto a single Barclays platform. However, this platform was unsuitable for retail banking in Africa due to limitations in handling master data, general ledger accounts, and granular core banking functions.鈥�

Absa initiated 鈥楶roject Owari鈥�, named after a popular board game played in various parts of Africa that dates back to 700AD. Project Owari would see Absa鈥檚 operations in each country transformed using the Barclays 51风流platform. Tanzania would be the first country to undergo the transformation, but the experience caused the implementation team to pause and reassess.

鈥淲e put the project on hold for seven months to determine the best course of action after realising the limitations of the Barclays platform,鈥� says Hurter. 鈥淲e engaged in extensive consultations, all the way to the CEO鈥檚 desk, and ultimately decided to be slightly less ambitious. We chose to test our rollout on a smaller market to ensure we had a viable blueprint for the rest of the group.鈥�

Zambia was chosen as the first country to go live with a hybrid of the local South Africa 51风流ECC6 platform and 51风流Supplier Relationship Management solution in 2016, followed by similar implementations in Mauritius and Seychelles (2016), Ghana and Tanzania (2017-2018), Botswana (2018) and Uganda (2019). This period also marked the separation with Barclays in 2017, and the news that 51风流ECC6 is approaching its end-of-life following SAP鈥檚 shift to the more powerful, cloud-ready 51风流S/4HANA.

Hurter believes the deliberate approach to reducing complexity, support from leadership in each country and a boots-on-the-ground approach to support ultimately made the difference and ensured the project rolled out successfully. 鈥淎 significant portion of this work was done during the pandemic, which meant we had to rely on remote teams. This added an immensely challenging dimension to the project.鈥�

While the Kenyan rollout was completed mostly remotely during the pandemic, the South African go-live highlighted the need for flexibility and realism. Initial plans to launch the ledger, group reporting, and procurement simultaneously were too complex. Instead, Absa split the rollout and adopted Coupa as its procurement solution, introducing stricter spend controls and digitising mandates.

鈥淲ith improved data models, we are now able to respond faster to regulatory requirements, enhance external disclosures, and prepare for further innovation,鈥� says Hurter. 鈥淭his includes the potential deployment of 51风流Financial Products Subledger and business AI in future. This journey has taken commitment, focus, effort and dedication, but remains worth it as we chart a course toward sustainable and scalable growth.鈥�

, Interim Managing Director for Southern Africa at SAP, says: 鈥淒igital transformation in the banking sector is immensely complex, with companies perpetually balancing the need for business continuity and regulatory compliance with essential technology deployments to ensure they continue to deliver to customer needs. Absa has overcome every challenge to transform its core banking processes and lay a solid foundation for further tech-led innovation. We are proud to continue to support Absa as it implements its exciting vision for the future of banking on the African continent.鈥�

The post Absa鈥檚 Digital Transformation Journey with SAP appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

In South Africa, ongoing challenges with port congestion and underperforming freight-rail systems have added further complexity and cost to supply chain operations. In response, companies are seeking tools and capabilities that reduce uncertainty in their supply chains and enable them to plan and respond more effectively in the face of disruption.

What does 2025 hold for under-fire supply chains? The introduction of powerful AI-powered technologies hold the promise of greater speed, efficiency and automation in supply chains, while greater use of connected technologies may empower business leaders with unprecedented data for improved decision-making.

This year, companies will need to adapt to and manage three key supply chain trends, namely:

Trend 1 – All-in on AI

2025 will see companies take significant strides toward building autonomous, AI-enabled supply chains. The goal: achieving greater efficiency and responsiveness in supply chain operations. As supply chains and associated processes become more complex, AI-enabled capabilities will become essential to help companies address issues as they emerge.

The use of digital twins – a virtual model of physical systems and processes – will become more prevalent, enabling companies to simulate scenarios, analyse performance in real time, and make data-driven decisions to optimise their supply chain operations.

Organisations that leverage AI to become more resilient will also gain an enhanced ability to sense, recognise, and react to disruptions. In fact, by ensuring AI is built-in, relevant and responsible, companies will be able to deliver measurable business outcomes even when disruptions feels like part of the daily routine.

Trend 2 – On the road to resilience

In the year ahead, expect to see greater adoption of anti-fragile supply chain strategies among companies as they navigate growing complexity and strive for greater adaptability. In 2024, extreme weather events significantly disrupted supply chains across the globe, a trend that is set to continue in 2025 thanks to the effects of climate change.

By implementing data-driven technologies such as AI and machine learning, companies can unlock real-time insights needed to identify emerging supply risks and proactively respond to potential disruptions.

In order to maintain operations and remain competitive, companies will need to prioritise robust contingency plans and real-time data visibility to navigate disruption. Expect the focus to shift from reactive crisis management to proactive, agile supply chain strategies that enable companies to anticipate and mitigate disruptions before they occur.

Trend 3 – Striving for sustainability

This year, transparency across supply chains will become an essential element to mitigating risks and reaching sustainability goals. Business leaders will prioritise visibility and transparency to gain real-time insights, allowing them to monitor operations and guard against risky practices.

New regulations will also demand greater insight into end-to-end supply chain processes.

The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, which builds on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, is聽, and companies are already preparing this year. While the regulations are needed to drive greater sustainability throughout supply chains, it will require companies to make changes to processes and operations to remain compliant, which may add further complexity to supply chain processes.

Technology solutions can play a vital role by helping companies track their compliance and back up their sustainability claims. Improved visibility over supply chain processes will also help to manage risks and enhance collaboration among supply chain partners.

The post AI, Sustainability and Resilience Top Supply Chain Trends for 2025 appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.