MpiloTech CEO, Denzil Fillis.

South African ICT firm MpiloTech has set its sights on the rest of the continent, after teaming up with Mauritian BankOne, and another big African lender to implement digital bank solutions.

The Johannesburg based company is implementing BankOne's retail banking solutions,  and is partnering with unnamed lender to roll out 21 banking products in 19 African countries. For confidentiality purposes the lender is not named at this stage.

The software development company is also planning to build centres of excellence and tech delivery centres across Africa.

MpiloTech – an emerging specialist software development company that designs and implements IT solutions – is on an expansion drive.

The company believes digital transformation is key to solving Africa's problems including reducing the high levels of unemployment on the continent. With this in mind, MpiloTech CEO, Denzil Fillis, tells ITWeb Africa: “We have partnered with Temenos in digital banking and HCLTech – to bring leading-edge technologies to the African continent.

Further, Fillis says MpiloTech together with BankOne will be rolling out more banking products across Africa, as it grows its footprint.

Fillis says: “We will be setting up satellite offices in each of these 18 countries outside South Africa soon to start the work. As a result, we will be creating direct jobs and more importantly, upskilling community members in the areas within we will be operating, in each of the 18 countries.

“It’s an exciting time for us; we will use these opportunities as a launch pad to become a truly pan-African software development company. This will also be an opportunity to accelerate our goal of creating one thousand jobs in the digital transformation space by 2028.”

According to Fillis, Africa’s digital economy is growing, and companies such as MpiloTech are making an impact in shaping the future of the continent.

“We firmly believe that it is Africa's time now to become a player in the digital transformation space and not only from a consumer space but from the production of digital tools and services,” says Fillis.

He continues: “As MpiloTech, we are working with original equipment manufacturers like Temenos and HCLTech to build large software delivery centres in Africa where we will not only service African clients, but also become a global software service provider.

“Africa has the talent and we are placing a great amount of effort into training and developing our African people. As an example we are hosting our first Tech-A-Thon in June where we will be equipping 50 developers on the VoltMX App development platform.

“10 teams of five candidates will be working over the weekend of the 9th to 11th June to build solutions that will solve problems facing residents of African cities like Johannesburg.”

Turning to what Africa needs to improve its digital journey, Fillis admits frustration with some of the challenges hindering acceleration of digital transformation.

“The biggest change required is the mindsets of IT and business executives in terms of the ability of African companies, like MpiloTech, to deliver mission-critical software,” says Fillis.

He says: “We have dispelled the myth that African companies, and especially black-owned companies, are not able to deliver larger-scale enterprise projects.”