Techno Brain Puts Africa First by Empowering Africans to Compete with Global Technology Giants
Techno Brain
Puts Africa First by Empower Compete with Global Techno Written by: Tom Wadlow Produced by: Kiron Chavda
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TECHNO BRAIN
The IT training, BPO and solutions provider has completed hundreds of projects for public and private clients and is on track for the coveted CMM Level 5, the ultimate statement that Africa is ready to compete on the global technology stage
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echno Brain is showing to the world that Africa is capable of producing first class global companies and does not have to rely on multinational technology powerhouses from elsewhere in order to carry out vital public and private business functions. Through carrying out important projects for governments across Sub Saharan Africa, the company is demonstrating that native software businesses are able to save administrations time and money, while being on hand at all times to resolve issues and continuously develop offerings. Its 11 products and 75 solutions have been carefully developed in-house at R&D centres in Hyderabad (India), Abuja (Nigeria) and company HQ in Nairobi (Kenya), and are now deployed across 23 countries by 1,600 employees. It is a remarkable growth from a small training company founded 17 years ago. The next step is to become the only company in Africa to achieve CMMI Level 5 status, which will immediately put Techno Brain on a level footing with the 200 other companies in the world with the same standing. Chief Executive Officer Manoj Shanker said: “This is our long term vision, to build a world class software company. Africa has huge potential and a lot of high tech projects are still predominantly done by big companies from outside who come in, do the project and then leave. “It was a logical extension from training to
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Itaque consed quam aspero et modite volu aborept.
The long term vision is to build a world class software company
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TECHNO BRAIN
Shanker receives the Ernest & Young Award
“The public sector spends a lot of money in automation and needs transformation with technology that will change the lives of the people it serves” – Manoj Shanker, CEO
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solutions. It was difficult initially to establish a credible company but slowly we had minor but credible successes, doing small projects which gave us confidence and instilled trust that Africans are as good as anyone else.” Vital Projects Techno Brain has products and services for many sectors including non-profit/NGO, manufacturing, telecoms, banking and insurance, trading and logistics, education and high tech, with solutions from Business Automation and Identity Management to Data Warehousing and Managed
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IT Services. Beyond the highly-developed South African market, much of Southern Africa’s IT spend derives from the public sector, an area which Techno Brain is excelling in and proving that Africa can cater for its own governmental technology needs. “The public sector spends a lot of money in automation and needs transformation with technology that will change the lives of the people it serves,” Shanker added. For example, in Identity Management the company is deploying its end-to-end solutions in Tanzania and Malawi for passport and border control systems. Techno Brain’s Integrated Financial Management System has been recognised in Rwanda by the World Bank as being the best project of its kind in the world, helping to keep track of and monitor local government spending. In the tax and revenues domain, the company has allied with Crown Agents in the UK and customised its solutions to meet the needs of customs authorities in countries like Nigeria and Namibia. Africa 1st The guiding principle of Techno Brain is to create ‘’Made in Africa” solutions that promote selfsustenance, social empowerment, long term economic stability and sustainability, showing that Africans can compete in the global stage.
Key Personnel
Manoj Shanker CEO Manoj Shanker, CEO, Techno Brain Group has been instrumental in setting up Techno Brain and expanding its network to 24 countries across the globe. He has more than 25 years of extensive experience in Sales, Marketing & Management and in establishing strategic partnerships with industry leaders across the globe. Under his leadership, Techno Brain has grown to become a leading IT solutions provider in Africa and beyond. Manoj is responsible for managing the entire group and creating success in every sphere of Techno Brain’s business. He has travelled extensively around the world and established strategic partnerships with companies such as Microsoft, GET, Oracle, New Horizons, and SAP among others, he has also been named CNCBC’s All African Business Awards 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year – East Africa, Ernest & Young Entreprenuer of the Year Finalist, while Techno Brain was just ranked number 2 in Deloittes Technology Fast50 Company in Africa Prior to Techno Brain, he worked with Digital Equipment Corporation and HCL Ltd. Manoj has completed his Bachelor of Science from St. Francis De’Sales College.
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TECHNO BRAIN
“We have clients such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Walmart and are proving that Africans can handle and manage effectively BPO at lower costs” – Manoj Shanker, CEO
Techno Brain has modern premises for its workers 8
No better is this shown than by the company’s work in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, dominated by the likes of India, the Philippines and other countries in Asia. Shanker added: “We now have 500 people in this business and are in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi addressing many markets. We have clients such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Walmart and are proving that Africans can handle and manage effectively BPO at lower costs.” Techno Brain is carrying out digital indexing work for Google and image processing for Facebook, both of which choosing Shanker’s company over competition in more established BPO territories. In Nigeria Techno Brain is embarking on a major initiative with the government, while the business is also expanding into Mauritius and Angola. Further afield it is showing its world class pedigree by setting up bases in the United States and acquiring business in the UK. Training Roots Despite rapid expansion in recent years, Techno Brain remains ardently loyal to its roots and continues to lead the field in terms of training opportunities for Africans in IT. “Training is absolutely critical to us continuing success and growth,” Shanker said. “We could not have achieved a lot of what we have done without training people.” “Techno Brain trains 15,000 people on average
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Shanker enjoys getting involved in the training process
every year, and has to date trained 375,000 people, the largest amount of any technology company in Sub Saharan Africa, which involves very basic processes to advanced programming, security, project management and business development. Techno Brain has to date also issued 7,000 training scholarships all across Africa though its Africa First initiative. “We also do vendor specific training. Venetia did a major programme called Skills For Africa and as part of that we are training 200 people on an advanced ERP system.” Techno Brain’s employees are given a
15,000 Number of people trained by the company every year
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TECHNO BRAIN
“Currently we have level 3 and we are extremely confident of being awarded Level 5, and with this no one can doubt our credibility” – Manoj Shanker, CEO
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mentorship programme, involving induction, certifications and project assignments which is tracked and monitored by coaches, a move designed to address the skills gap seen across the continent. Last year the company hired 100 people and this year that number is at least 150. All 11 products have developed as a result of innovation of the group’s own employees, including MEsure, which monitors the performance of government projects, and Smart Fleet, a fleet management systems which allows companies to track the efficiency of their vehicles. Continual innovation of home-grown products and solutions will ensure Techno
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Company Information INDUSTRY
Technology HEADQUARTERS
Nairobi, Kenya FOUNDED
1997 EMPLOYEES
1,600 REVENUE
Brain develops even further as a technology operator able to compete with the global heavyweights, with CMMI Level 5 certification sure to act as absolute proof and something which Shanker is confident the company can achieve. He concluded: “Currently we have level 3 and we are extremely confident of being awarded Level 5, and with this no one can doubt our credibility. It will give us immediate global recognition and help demonstrate that Africa is serious about technology and software services. “I have massive belief and confidence in Africa, and we have proven you can build a world class company from here.”
$65million PRODUCTS/ SERVICES
IT solutions, Business Process Outsourcing, and Training
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Heritan House, Woodlands Road, Off. Argwings Kodhek Road, Nairobi, Kenya P.O.Box 57666-00200 Tel. +254 738 770 186 • Fax. +254 20 2246186 info@technobrainltd.com www.technobraingroup.com