- Siemens Lifts Africa’s Varsities With $400,000 Equipment
To accelerate industrialisation and drive economic growth in Africa, Siemens has handed over $400, 000 worth of equipment to 13 engineering faculties of universities in Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa. The equipment, specifically related to industrial automation, will enable integrated engineering.
The equipment was part of the firm’s commitment to sustainable skills development across the continent.
According to data collected by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in key African markets, employers identified inadequately-skilled workforces as major constraint to their businesses, including 41 per cent of all firms in Tanzania, 30 per cent in Kenya, nine per cent in South Africa and six per cent in Nigeria.
“The Future of Jobs and Skills in Africa Report”, released by WEF, said this pattern may get worse in the future. It noted that in South Africa alone, 39 per cent of core skills required across occupations will be wholly different by 2020.
“The uneven development of the past can only be overcome with locally engineered solutions,” said Sabine Dall’Omo, Siemens’ Chief Executive Officer, Southern and Eastern Africa.
He further said: “In an African context, disruptive technology can be seen as an opportunity to leapfrog into the best and most advanced technologies, but this is only possible with access to the right training and equipment.”
