SAP Africa today announced the opening of an office in Luanda, Angola – its fifth regional hub in Africa.

The office is located in Luanda's Edificio Escom business district and is headed up by regional head, Pedro Guerreiro, as Managing Director for Portuguese-speaking Africa. Guerreiro, who has been with SAP in various capacities for over 17 years, was Senior Director of Services - Strategic Sales for SAP in the United States prior to this role. Guerreiro also currently holds the position of Head of Energy and Natural Resource Industries at SAP Africa.

SAP's investment in the largest city in Angola affirms the company's commitment to strengthening relationships with government, customers and business partners, and expanding operations throughout Portuguese-speaking Africa.
SAP has had an active presence in Angola since 1998 with its first customer being oil conglomerate, Sonangol. The company now has more than 55 customers in the country across a variety of industries, as well as 13 accredited partners. The SAP footprint in Mozambique is similarly gaining momentum with 28 key customers and seven partners at this time.

"SAP is proud to be bolstering its existing collaborative partnerships with forward-thinking businesses of all sizes and with government to contribute towards driving forward Portuguese-speaking Africa's innovation agenda," commented Brett Parker, MD SAP Africa. "Despite the challenging economic environment at present, this is the perfect time to lay the technology foundation that will put businesses and government well ahead of the game when the tide turns. SAP is very optimistic about prospects in this region and looks forward to expanding our presence in the years to come."

As part of this commitment and underpinning SAP Africa's investment in African skills development, the company also announced that the SAP Skills for Africa initiative will be launched in Angola in June 2016. SAP Skills for Africa is SAP Africa's skills development and job creation initiative aimed at developing ICT and business skills in strategic locations.

With growth and the scarcity of skills on the African continent top of mind, this programme – a first of its kind in the industry in Africa – offers selected students the opportunity to develop world-class skills, effectively giving them an opportunity to play a role in contributing towards Africa's future economic growth and infrastructure development.*

After having completed the training, successful students go on to internships with SAP customers and partners. Several fruitful discussion are underway with Angolan customers, partners and academic institutions to explore ways in which effective collaboration can be achieved.

"SAP is a German company that showcases both the quality and reliability associated with "Made In Germany" label. Indeed, SAP is the third most valuable German brand globally, right after Mercedes and BMW. There are now approximately 20 significant German companies successfully doing business in Angola and we applaud SAP's deepened commitment to the region," commented Ricardo Gerigk, Delegate for German Economy in Angola.

"Key to German brands settling in foreign countries is the critical factor of contributing positively to Human Resources development policies. A highly skilled technology workforce will sharpen Angola's competitive edge in the global economy. The added value of companies like SAP is the German quality philosophy alongside an investment in human resources through vocational training with the goal to quickly replace foreign with local labor. This happens in all countries where German companies have settled, generating new jobs and ultimately boosting the national economy."

SAP has been operating in Africa since 1982, and has more than 1300 customers across the continent and presence in 51 countries.

* The SAP Skills for Africa initiative comprises two parts: the SAP Scholarship programme (for unemployed graduates) and SAP Dual Study Programme (for students studying towards a Bachelor's degree).

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