EMBRACING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN AFRICA
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AFRISSANCE DIGITAL: EMBRACING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN AFRICA
WRITTEN BY
SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY
JUSTIN BRAND
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Victor Taiwo, CEO of Afrissance Digital, discusses how the influence of technology is transforming operations at his company and beyond
O
ver the past decade, technology penetration in Africa has grown considerably. Such is the speed of the development that
Africa skipped landlines and went straight to mobile technology. “There were very few households with landlines when I was growing up,” says Victor Taiwo, 04
CEO of Afrissance Digital. “However, with the jump to 3G, 4G and 5G in Africa, it means we’ve been able to implement more technology-based solutions. Mobile money has been introduced because the technology now exists via mobile apps. Hosting your data in the cloud wouldn’t have existed several years ago, but now we’re seeing companies in Africa embrace these new solutions. Firms such as Oracle are pushing for cloud and now offer predominantly cloud-based solutions.” Having looked at the landscape in Africa and observing how businesses were implementing ERP solutions, Taiwo identified a gap in how the consulting industry addressed African business needs. “This led me to establish a consulting company, utilising indigenous people who are first and foremost steeped in the African culture
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A F R I S S A N C E D I G I TA L
“ With the jump to 3G, 4G and 5G in Africa, it means we’ve been able to implement more technologybased solutions”
and ultimately take a different approach to addressing business needs,” explains Taiwo. “We were careful to make sure our leadership team comprises of executives who are experts in their respective areas to help guide us. It’s a key reason why we have leaders from both the consulting profession and from our industry on our Board of Directors.”
— Victor Taiwo, CEO, Afrissance Digital 06
As with any successful consulting company, meeting client demands is essential. To maintain that drive, Taiwo insists on a robust and continuous improvement strategy. “We’re a young company and uniquely placed to be pioneers of this new digital era,” says Taiwo. “By focusing on digital solutions for business, it allows us to dig deep into their operations in order to understand the best way to deliver the business solution. With our understanding of our clients’ business, we don’t only address the configuration of applications, we focus on the business transformation that the solutions facilitate. As we develop, we continue to learn more about how to drive the customer towards those value-adding solutions.”
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07 New technologies such as machine
drive insights using data from disparate
learning (ML) and automation have
systems.” With data considered a core
created greater efficiency for many
component to Afrissance’s strategy,
companies. ML is key in helping ERP
Taiwo affirms the customer always
solutions to better comprehend pat-
remains at the heart of decision-
terns and trends, helping businesses
making. “The most important thing to
find ways to generate more value out
us is understanding the customer. In
of their data. “For example, when you
the UK, you expect everyone to have
submit an expense, it knows how to put
a bank account and a mobile device
it in the right category based on previ-
to do internet banking, but this isn’t
ous patterns” he explains. “We capture
the case in Africa,” explains Taiwo.
a lot of data in the ERP space, previ-
“However, mobile money is growing
ously we only used data for financial
in Africa. Technology such as using a
and management reporting. Now, we
mobile number as a bank account to
have the tools to build analytics that
pay each other has empowered the w w w.a fri ssa nc e .di gi ta l. com
A F R I S S A N C E D I G I TA L
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people of Africa to start using mobile
place. It’s important to start small and
money. Despite the lack of computer
understand that it’s a journey. We did
penetration, the simplicity of applica-
exactly that; we started with five gradu-
tions delivered to Africa are much more
ate trainees and have grown from there.
user-friendly than in Europe.”
It allowed us to focus our energies on
With long-term ambitions of becom-
our development and enabled them
ing Africa’s foremost indigenous
to become mentors and leaders. Now,
consulting organisation, Taiwo has his
they are passing on their knowledge to
sights aimed high. “In 2018, I said that
newer members of the team and you
our aim was to gain industry recognition
can see we are growing significantly.
for our innovative approach to solu-
We are on track with our plan.”
tion delivery,” says Taiwo. “To achieve
Afrissance centres operations
this plan, we must lay the foundations
around six corporate values. These are:
and put the right culture and ethics in
courage, context, character, culture,
consistency and competence. “These
we’re adding is commitment which we
values are very much central to what we
demonstrate daily through our invest-
are as an organisation and represents
ment in continuous training and by our
what our clients can expect from us in
recent investment in dedicated fully
every engagement and assignment that
equipped new office space in the heart
we undertake,” says Taiwo. “Another C
of the Lagos business district.”
Victor Taiwo
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Victor is the CEO at Afrissance Digital. He sets the vision and direction for Afrissance Digital and oversees all company strategy, business activities and operations. Victor spent several years at Oracle Corporation and as an independent consultant delivering solutions to numerous Fortune 500 and FT 100 clients. He subsequently spent several years helping a major manufacturing conglomerate, Alcoa, roll-out new information systems throughout their global operations, but specifically in Europe and Africa. His tenacity has helped many companies address major operational and structural issues over the intervening years. He holds an honours degree in Accounting and is an alumnus of the London Business School. On founding Afrissance Digital, Victor observed, “We have an opportunity to leapfrog many of the IS issues of the last couple of decades and, as with mobile technology, help Africa reach the enterprise top table in the shortest time possible.” When not screaming at underperforming Arsenal players in the Emirates stadium, Victor devotes his spare time ferrying his two sons to and from their increasingly numerous extracurricular activities. w w w.a fri ssa nc e .di gi ta l. com
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“ We’re a young company and uniquely placed” — Victor Taiwo, CEO, Afrissance Digital
Collaboration and partnership are key pillars of Taiwo’s strategy, with Afrissance forging a key strategic alliance with Lonestar Cell MTN. The company became Afrissance’s success story of 2019 and emboldened them to the challenges that lie ahead. “We implemented a full NetSuite ERP and Point of Sale solution for Lonestar Cell MTN, in four months, with the bulk of the work conducted by our graduate consultants, who had at that time no more than 14 months experience. This is where we first met Titilope Fakuade, CIO, and Kingsley Konadu, former CFO, whose vision for Lonestar Cell MTN Liberia we were delighted to help realise.” Looking to the future, Taiwo has a clear vision of what he expects the next few years at Afrissance to look like. “Everything we do is born in the cloud, and we’re pushing that agenda because we believe it’s the future. You don’t own all the apps on your mobile phone, you just use them. Some you pay for and some are free. That’s where I see the enterprise market moving in the next few years.” Some aspects of the current landscape w w w.a fri ssa nc e .di gi ta l. com
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“The next two or three years are all about cloud” — Victor Taiwo, CEO, Afrissance Digital
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in Africa are unfavourable towards
years are all about cloud penetration.
cloud-based solutions due to con-
It’s already started in the more devel-
cerns around data residency and data
oped economies of the world and, as
security, however, Taiwo sees the tide
the legislation continues to allow, we’re
of legislation in Africa beginning to
going to see more penetration in Africa.
soften and expects the implementation
It will also allow more linearity between
of cloud solutions to become more
Europe and Africa because it means
prominent in the region. “It means we
we’re all working off the same solution.”
can champion software as a service (SaaS),” explains Victor. “It also allows us to work more remotely because it’s in the cloud and everyone can access it at the same time. The next two or three w w w.a fri ssa nc e .di gi ta l. com
2nd Floor, Plot 5 Chief Yesufu Abiodun Street Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria T +234 (0) 1 280 9356 www.afrissance.digital.com