Salesforce commits to South Africa skills development

Cloud-based software company Salesforce says it is committed to helping solve South Africa's key problems – the digital skills gap and job creation.

Furthermore, the company repeated its commitment to create 31,800 new jobs and generate US$5.1 billion in new business revenue in South Africa by 2026.

The announcement was made by Salesforce South Africa Senior Talent Program Manager, Ursula Fear, during a roundtable discussion at the Salesforce World Tour Essentials conference held at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Johannesburg this week.

"South Africa doesn't have a shortage of jobs, we have a shortage of skills," she said.

To further reiterate that point, Fear also announced that the company has partnered with Collective X, a private sector-led initiative aimed at addressing the massive gap between the oversupply of digital jobs and the undersupply of people with the skills to fill them in South Africa.

"It's a collective effort to equip our country's youth with the digital skills needed to radically increase employment and make a meaningful contribution to the economy," Fear said.

"Collective X is one of the vehicles through which Salesforce is realizing its commitment to fit for purpose skills and sustainable job creation in South Africa," she explained.

Salesforce South African growth

In his keynote address, Salesforce Area VP, Africa Executive and South Africa Country Leader Zuko Mdwaba said the company's growth in South Africa was way above the global average, which is very good considering that the company has only been in the country for 18 months.

"This growth is evident in our growing number of partners and certifications. Partner certifications grew by 61% while partner certified individuals grew by 58%, as at the end of Q1 of FY24, while partners that hold certifications grew by 39%," he continued.

Salesforce has partnered with Collective X to address the digital skills gap in South Africa. (Source: Salesforce).

"It's equally positive for the rest of Africa. Partner certifications for all of Africa grew by 60%, partner certified individuals by 57% and partners who hold certifications grew by 41%," he said.

Salesforce launches its AI Cloud

During the one-day event, Salesforce introduced its AI Cloud, a new suite of products designed to be enterprise ready for businesses to leverage the power and potential of generative AI for business.

"With AI Cloud, Salesforce's existing product portfolio, across all applications and workflows, can be augmented with AI capabilities," said Salesforce Mediterranean, Austria, Israel, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region Head Robin Fisher.

"AI Cloud will boost productivity across all applications and workflows as it integrates with existing Salesforce technologies including Einstein," he added.

Part of AI Cloud is Einstein, which is already making a trillion decisions every week, Fisher continued.

"The trust layer is part of the Einstein name and refers to the protection of customer data even when an AI is handling it," he continued.

Furthermore, the company urged delegates to give back at the event by packing 20,000 meal kits for Rise Against Hunger, an non-profit organization working to eradicate childhood hunger in Southern Africa.

*Top image is of Salesforce Area VP, Africa Executive and South Africa Country Leader, Zuko Mdwaba speaking at the Salesforce World Tour Essentials conference in Johannesburg. (Source: Salesforce).

— Matshepo Sehloho, Associate Editor, Connecting Africa