Sdigital skillsHow the
Sdigital skillsHow the private sector can lead SA’s skills revolutionThe country is facing an ever-widening digital skills gap, a challenged education system and youth unemployment rates thatthreaten to destabilise our future. It’s time to start driving real, meaningful change.By Accenture Africa*SSouth Africa, I believe, is at a talent and innovation tipping point.If we don’t act now, we risk falling even further behind in the globalrace for competitive advantage. The truth is that we have lagged inareas where we could have been at the forefront of technology in thepast. Each missed chance has costly implications.The call to action is clear: the private sector must step upfurther and invest more in South Africa’s skills future. Governmentinitiatives, while necessary and laudable, are not enough. We needa business-driven approach to accelerate the development of ourdigital workforce, fix our education system and create opportunitiesfor our youth – particularly young women.As a leader in tech innovation, Accenture is well-positionedto shed light on the depth of these issues, particularly the digitalskills gap in STEM. Despite global advancements, South Africa’sdigital competencies lag significantly: it ranks 84 th out of 135 in theWiley Digital Skills Gap Index. The slow progression can largely beattributed to a lack of adequate education, socioeconomic disparitiesand the “brain drain”, where highly skilled professionals emigrate inpursuit of better opportunities.To address the skills gap, we must first tackle the educationalcrisis that fuels it. South Africa’s education system has consistentlyranked among the worst globally. The 2019 Trends in InternationalMathematics and Science Study placed South Africa near the bottomin performance for primary and secondary education. Morealarmingly, a 2021 study revealed that 81% of South African Grade4 students cannot read for meaning, the same figure as in 2011,erasing a decade of slow progress.Without a strong foundation in basic education, students cannottransition successfully into higher education fields that are critical toclosing the skills gap, particularly in STEM disciplines.The gender disparity in employment reflects broader systemicbarriers for women, who are often hindered by social factors thatprevent them from pursuing educational and career advancement.In response, there is an urgent need for programmes and initiativesthat prioritise skills development and employment for youngwomen. These initiatives should aim to rectify this gender gap anduplift those who are most vulnerable in the job market.An innovative approach would be to establish new universitiesspecifically focused on producing graduates in high-demand STEMfields. South Africa’s slow progress in building academic capacity,particularly in STEM disciplines, underscores the need for suchstructural changes. The Oliver Tambo University of Science and34 | Service magazine
digital skillsSTechnology, for example, is one proposal that holds significantpromise for increasing STEM talent in South Africa. Alongside theestablishment of such institutions, the private sector can contributethrough scholarships, mentorships and other funding models thatensure talented students are not barred from education due tofinancial constraints.Mentorship programmes arecrucial. Thought leaders urge skillsdevelopment focus, following SONA.South African businesses must prioritise creating conduciveworking environments that retain top talent. To retain talent,companies need to provide fair compensation, a supportive workingenvironment and opportunities for growth.Partnerships between the public and private sectors are essential.NGOs and tech hubs, such as WeThinkCode, GirlCode andyouth@WORK, are making headway in addressing criticalskills shortages and should be leveraged for greater impact.South Africa’s well-established tech ecosystem, primarily inJohannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, provides an ideal foundationfor such initiatives.Moreover, mentorship programmes are crucial. South Africaboasts exceptional leaders in the tech industry who canguide the next generation. Organisations shouldadopt mentorship as a core component of theirtalent development strategy.Finally, a digital platform that connects job seekerswith mentors and employers could revolutionise thejob market. Such a platform could use AI to matchcandidates with opportunities based on their skillsand experiences, streamlining the job searchprocess and ensuring that young talent isadequately matched with industry needs.By leveraging partnerships andinvesting in education and mentorship,we can cultivate a thriving workforceprepared for the demands of theFourth Industrial Revolution. S*Written by Ntsako Baloyi, seniormanager within the technology businessat Accenture Africa.Ntsako Baloyi, Accenture Africa.CLOSING THE DIVIDEDelivering affordable, high-quality Internet access to SouthAfrican communities across the income spectrum.Albert Oosthuysen, CEO, Net Nine Nine pilots open accessWiFi project in Swaneville Kagiso.Infinite Partners, a South African-based private equity fund manager andthe Public Investment Corporation (PIC) have announced the acquisitionof a strategic interest in three fibre network operators: Net Nine Nine,Evotel and LinkLayer. These businesses have been consolidated into asingle holding company, Fibre Holdco, dedicated to expanding reliableand affordable fibre connectivity primarily to historically underservedcommunities, including townships and rural mining towns across SouthAfrica.THE OPERATORSNet Nine Nine. Founded in 2020, Net Nine Nine is a fast-growingfibre network operator providing high-quality Internet connectivity tolower-income households nationally. The business has pioneered fibrenetwork expansion into townships by offering unlimited, reliable andcost-effective bandwidth.Evotel. By focusing on middle-income suburbs, secondary cities, ruralareas and mining towns and areas typically overlooked by major fibreoperators, Evotel ensures uninterrupted, premium Internet access inregions where connectivity is a vital enabler of education, e-commerceand economic activity.LinkLayer. LinkLayer provides dependable fibre connectivity andhigh-quality Internet to households in the KwaZulu-Natal region.The acquisition is set to create a powerful platform for collaborationand will drive greater impact, enabling the expansion offibre access tocommunities across the income spectrum, supporting the development ofinfrastructure in areas where digital connectivity has lingered.Fibre Holdco will focus on expanding access to broadband servicesto over 1.5-million homes in South Africa, targeting underserved lowerto middle-income residential markets. This effort will also bolster localeconomies by engaging SMMEs for network building, maintenance andsales efforts. SEdward Pitsi,CEO and NaomiNethengwe,founding teammember andprincipal atInfinite Partners.Service magazine | 35
