Software corporation SAP has declared its commitment to Côte dIvoire as part of its Africa growth strategy
As part of its expansion programme, SAP will implement skills development and employability training in the country.
The company, in partnership with the government and other stakeholders, will be supporting Côte d'Ivoire’s 2020 objective to implement transformational e-government services across the country.
According to a recent World Bank Report on the transformational use of ICT in Africa, the continent has the fastest growing mobile adoption rate in the world, making the mobile phone value far higher than anywhere else.
Franck Cohen, president of SAP EMEA, said, “The ICT sector has proven to be a strong driver of GDP growth in nations across the world and has been a significant contributor to these nations’ economies by making them more attractive to global firms interested in investment and expansion and through the advancement of its own people’s skills.”
SAP said that, despite the political instability and civil unrest experienced in Côte d'Ivoire between 1999 and 2011, the country’s ICT sector has experienced continual growth and profitability.
The country, which was one of the first in sub-Saharan Africa to gain full Internet access and mobile telephony, currently has an 80 per cent Internet penetration rate and a subscriber base of 18mn, SAP said.
Côte d'Ivoire has also experienced a compound annual growth rate of 48.6 per cent in mobile subscriptions between 2005 and 2011, the company added.
Pfungwa Serima, CEO of SAP Africa, said, “With undersea sea cables improving Internet connections for Côte d'Ivoire, excellent connectivity with the rest of the world is imminent and will result in meaningful developments in more effective communication, networking and education – ultimately contributing towards national growth and development.
“Imperative to the successful adoption of new technologies is Cloud computing, SAP is currently in discussion with key players in the Ivory Coast to develop partnerships to provide cloud hosted SME solutions to data centres,” he added.
