The Talent Summit Africa 2021 offered striking data, such as the fact that in 2025, 85 million jobs that we know today will have disappeared.
Digitisation in the labour sector and the arrival of hybrid working has determined the newest market trends. Still, they also highlight the skills that talent should offer in Nigeria and the surrounding region. This was the goal at the recently concluded Talent Summit Africa 2021, powered by elev8. The virtual event demonstrated the importance of continued learning, digital and automatic learned, and resilience in times of crisis.
The Talent Summit Africa 2021 offered striking data, such as the fact that in 2025, 85 million jobs that we know today will have disappeared. Still, in the same period, 97 million new jobs are expected to have been created thanks to newly implemented technologies.
Delivering the keynote address on the topic, “How Digital Transformation Will Secure a Sustainable Future for Africa”, Oluwaseun Solanke, Vice President and CIO at Airtel Nigeria commenced with the journey of digital transformation in Nigeria from when the Nigerian government changed the Federal Ministry of Communications to Federal Ministry of Communications and digital economy with a mandate to develop and implement a harmonized and well-coordinated digital economy, policy and strategy.”
To retain talent within a business, we need to evolve the necessary skills within the same post or job profile (upskilling), but the requirement has also emerged to go beyond and prepare a professional to develop technical skills required by a dynamic labour market (re-skilling).
Speaking at the virtual event through his welcome address, Lars Johannisson, the Country Managing Director for elev8Nigeria said: “The discussion around growth and talent is intimately connected to two very important factors which are skilling and talent. Bringing talent and skilling together can scale both business and economy by bringing a larger portion of the population into this growing economy is a paramount imperative for all of individuals working in the IT environments.”
According to the World Economic Forum, two out of every three employers will receive a return on investment within a year if they re-skill their employees.
