Nigerian companies are experiencing stunted growth because of shortage of tech workers, a report by SAP Africa has revealed.
The report indicated that nearly all organisations in Nigeria and Africa are expected to experience a tech skills-related challenges in 2030
According to the report, a survey of select Nigerian companies showed that they had suffered a negative impact due to lack of tech skills, compared to 60 per cent in Kenya and 78 per cent in South Africa.
The report further stated that Nigerian firms were struggling to attract top tech skills, and that lack of these skills was having a negative effect on Nigeria, and the continent’s digital transformation efforts.
The Managing Director of SAP Africa, Cathy Smith, while commenting on the report, said there was an urgent need to invest in skills developments and training to ensure Nigeria and Africa can capitalise on its large youth population.
“More than half the world’s population growth between now and 2050 will take place in Africa, where 1.3 billion people are expected to be born by mid-Century.
“However, as our research reveals, African organisations still face some difficulties with attracting, retraining and upskilling suitable skilled tech workers,” she said.
According to the firm, four in five organisations surveyed, reported some negative effect from lack of tech skills, with 41 per cent reporting that employees are leaving due to the pressure they experience as a result of understaffing.
To tackle the skills challenges, the report said many organisations have committed to creating access to the correct tech skills, with 41 per cent stating that upskilling of existing employees would be a top priority in 2023, and 40 per cent planning to reskill employees.
According to the report, the most in-demand skills include Cybersecurity and data analytics (63 per cent), developer and industry skills (49 per cent), and digital transformation skills (48 per cent).