Enterprise social network and workforce engagement company Wyzetalk has been chosen to participate in the Aspiring Innovators Programme and showcase at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Africa, starting today in Cape Town until 30 September 2015.

"The aim of the programme is to support African start-up technology while giving Gartner clients access to innovative local technology solutions. Gartner analysts follow technology and help customers find and apply it, no matter where it comes from – and the Aspiring Innovators Programme highlights African start-ups we believe have something unique to offer enterprises today," says Jeffrey Mann of Gartner.

Gys Kappers, chief executive officer of Wyzetalk, believes the company was selected on the strength of delegates' and analysts' interest in the growth of global enterprise social software, as well as the relevance of this technology in South Africa, where adoption has been slower.

"We started in 2011 with a real desire to build an enterprise social software company that was globally competitive but with key differentiators that we thought were missing from the platforms available at the time. We soon realised that while enterprise social solutions work well for collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation among office workers, our customers felt a real need to connect with their entire workforce, also in the field and in far-flung locations," says Kappers.

"This has meant augmenting our Web and smart mobile platforms with good old-fashioned GSM technology that is still prominent in emerging markets. As a result we've been able to assist African companies with building high-impact social enterprise ecosystems that bring everyone's thoughts and ideas to the table and create a highly engaged workforce," he adds.

He says the platform has been successful throughout Africa, where the telecoms environment is complex, costs are high and the market is in its infancy.

"One cannot rely on even basic technologies like USSD being readily available in every country, which makes Wyzetalk uniquely suited to African conditions with support for entry-level mobile operating platforms and communication protocols. We believe we have a responsibility to assist in Africa's technological enablement, while bearing in mind African realities."

Organisers expect more than 1 000 Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and other senior IT executives to attend the Gartner event – billed as the most important annual gathering of technology leaders in the world.

The symposium will be structured around mission-critical priorities to solve the toughest challenges faced by CIOs today.

"ICT has long been the cornerstone for innovation. Thanks to advances in mobility, infrastructure, and the cost of access, African companies have an enormous contribution to make. We're looking forward to participating in this year's Gartner ITxpo and to represent Africa's foray into enterprise social networking and workforce engagement," concludes Kappers.