Somalilandsun: Africa has so far lived a life in the shadow of the great tech giants in America, Europé, and Asia. However, as of lately there are signs that Africa is moving in the right direction. Sadly, so far Somaliland has failed to get a foothold in the IT sector, so what can be done?
The continent is set to increase its share in an industry, where people and businesses spent some roughly $4 trillion on IT services in 2019, a number still growing. Africa steadily continues on its path to becoming a potent incubator for tech innovation, the number of African tech companies grew by 50 percent between 2016 and 2018 according to a recent study. Today, there are at least 442 African tech hubs, Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, and Kenya were all listed as some of the most active breeding grounds for nascent IT companies according to the study.
Somaliland lagging behind.
Somaliland however, has so far not been able to tap into this lucrative market. Perhaps the main reasons are, firstly a serious lack of capital, secondly, an industrial structure that allows synergies, and thirdly a lack of well-educated professionals. In later years, there has been a positive development in the telecommunications industry but enough to change the industrial structure of the country. If we leave the capital and structural issues behind and instead focus on the supply of qualified labour, here, there is a lot to be done, and this is one area where the government definitely has a role to play. The government should through the tertiary education system secure a supply of well-educated professionals. So, what is needed in terms of relevant skills to establish a viable Somaliland incubator?
Skills needed in today’s competitive market.
The IT industry is rapidly changing and staying on top of the game is increasingly important for both companies and their talents. We will list the top 5 IT skills needed in 2022.
“The competition between companies is fierce, and talents with relevant skills are a scarce resource”
The global IT market has seen steady growth in recent years and competition between businesses is fierce. The difficult task is to match talent and need, a task that is sometimes not as easy as it seems since the trends and the technological development in the IT sector are moving at a rapid pace.
According to the Global Information Security Workforce Study (GISWS) survey, it is predicted that there will be an excess of more than 1.8 million IT jobs unfilled by the end of 2022, and still, some IT professionals will still struggle to find a suitable job, this because their skill set is not in alignment with the needs of the market. This means that to a large extent, the future success of Somaliland IT firms will depend on their ability to find highly skilled employees with the right skillsets.
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With a market that is rapidly changing and with increased competition, companies need to be able to attract talented and flexible employees to keep their competitive advantage. So what skills are needed in order for Somaliland IT companies to get a foothold in the global IT sector?
These Are the Most Needed Skills in today’s IT industry.
1: Artificial intelligence
Over the last couple of years, AI has transformed the IT industry, and by doing so created many job opportunities. The AI industry is growing rapidly, having received, only in the US over 18 billion USD worth of funding in 2019. AI is continuously shaping a number of industries such as healthcare, cybersecurity, banking, finance, customer service, logistics, transportation, and many others. It has been estimated that artificial intelligence is about to create 58 million new jobs by the end of 2022, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.
2: Data science
Data Science has formally turned into a fully acknowledged career path with programs taught at universities around the world. Firms in sectors as widely dispersed as, transportation, healthcare, research, and retail are witnessing firsthand a great shortage of data scientists. It has been estimated that today there are 3 times more job postings worldwide compared to applicants in this category, which clearly illustrates the discrepancy between supply and demand.
3: Cloud computing
With the ever-increasing amount of data stored every day, cloud computing is developing at a rapid pace. According to a study by Ops-Ramp, over 60% of all current applications are being built on cloud architectures. However, due to the rapid development, there is an evident shortage of talent which, according to the 2020 “Challenges in Cloud Transformation Survey”, results in slower innovation rates and difficulties to realise projects.
4: DevOps
The demand for DevOps is steadily growing, as more and more industries are in the rush of a digital transformation. As more organisations develop into digitalised entities, there is a growing need for high-skilled DevOps specialists who are able to satisfy the digital needs of their employers.
5: UX/UI design
UX designers are nowadays an essential part of IT teams as companies fight to allow their customers to have the best user experience while using their products. However, the skill is not the easiest to master, therefore, it will require a lot of effort for a future specialist to bring it up to the next level.
The junction ahead.
Highly skilled professionals are becoming valuable resources for firms around the world. More and more countries realise the danger of being left behind in the digital revolution we now see around us.
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The Key for Somaliland is to transform its economy, one way to do this is to embrace the future and the digital economy. If Somaliland manages to tap into this lucrative business, there is a realistic chance that the young nation will also increase the standard of living for its population. The global economy is rapidly transforming and Somaliland has a choice to make, to catch the train, or to be left on the platform with little prospects of ever catching up.
Co-authored by Henrik G.S. Arvidsson & Ruslana Arvidsson
Ruslana Arvidsson is the COO and chairman of the board at JoBs4U and a researcher into innovation and female entrepreneurship While Henrik G.S. Arvidsson is the CEO of JoBs4U, a global IT recruitment firm, a business consultant, award-winning lecturer, and researcher in international entrepreneurship and strategic marketing.
The duo is part of a dedicated team that seeks to match the best talents from around the world with the top-notch IT-firms, medical centers and high-tech firms in Scandinavia, the EU and North America. There for you! We are www.jobs4u.fi
