Africa's technology sector is bucking the global economic trend and continues to attract more investment. Although positive, it does mean a more proactive approach to skills acquisition and placement is required if the continent is to meet the market demand.

Willy Ciama, Senior Recruitment Consultant: Africa at ThornTree Group, says, "Investment on the continent is seeing an increased demand for skilled local talent, particularly in the technology sector. However, recruiting for Africa markets is that much more challenging because of the geographic distance, cultural differences, economics and political challenges."

Ciama refers to the US$120-million secured by Afrimax Group to accelerate the rollout of its 4G LTE network across multiple African markets, and SkyPower's agreements with Nigeria and Kenya for the development, construction and operation of solar PV project at an estimated cost of US$5-billion, as evidence of continued large scale investments on the continent.

The investment has created a need for skilled tech workers, a need that Ciama says many companies struggle to realise. "I am not surprised at all, but the demand is increasing so rapidly that it has been outside the control of companies."

Why the struggle? According to Alan Russell, MD of ThornTree Group, ICT and financial services are some of the fastest growing sectors in countries like Tanzania, for example, and require new tech skills, but the workforce cannot be trained up quickly enough. "This forces companies to recruit from a small talent pool / fight over the same talent pool. The same goes for other African countries," he says.

Although this could lead to more vigorous headhunting, what Ciama advocates is a longer term approach involving talent mapping or future proofing, which involves networking with- and engaging candidates with the skills a company uses or requires to determine where the talent is in order to be prepared when the need arises.

Not-so-social media

The observation that social media is playing an increasingly prevalent role in recruitment must be considered carefully says Ciama.

"Let us not confuse social media profiles like Facebook and Instagram with professional networks like Linkedin. Professional Networks are useful tools to find passive candidates (candidates who aren't actively looking and aren't on job boards) as they can provide insight into an individual's training, skills and interests in business. Social media platforms can be useful to get an idea of the candidate's character and softer skills to determine whether or not the candidate would suite the company's corporate culture," he says.

Russell adds that there is an assumption that all available talent is using social platforms, but the truth is many aren't. "And this is even more true of the talent in the rest of Africa. There's over 1.2 billion people on the continent with only around 9% of them using social networks."

According to ThornTree, not enough is being done to share skills, and the development that is taking place is being driven by suppliers and their product.

"Countries like Angola and Mozambique do push to develop their own people rather than hire expatriates, but on a whole what one mostly sees is that large international corporates enter the market and then bring all the required skills from their own country. When the contract is then complete, they leave with that talent. This doesn't serve or up-skill the locals," says Ciama.

The agency believes headhunting candidates from within South Africa is a short-term solution to the challenges of recruiting within Africa and the large pool of qualified professionals, many of whom – because of historical events – have little practical experience.

"The Continent is rich and diverse in culture. With that in mind, it's important to understand the dynamics at play in the various regions, as this can make a significant difference in the type of person an organisation may employ," the company states.

Variables, including notice periods and negotiation tactics, have to be considered when on-boarding talent.