• Thursday, March 28, 2024
businessday logo

BusinessDay

PMI predicts Sub-Saharan Africa to grow PMOE by 40percent in 10 years

PMI predicts Sub-Saharan Africa to grow PMOE by 40percent in 10 years

The Project Management Institute’s (PMI) has predicted that Sub-Saharan Africa will witness a 40 percent growth with project management-oriented employment (PMOE) opportunities between 2019 to 2030, considered as the largest globally.

Now in its sixth year, Project Management Institute’s (PMI) virtual conference held on Saturday 4 September, provided learning and networking opportunities for ‘Africans to learn from Africans’ with the theme, ‘Africa: An Ecosystem of Changemakers’.

Building on the success of last year’s conference which attracted more than 2,000 delegates, this year’s virtual conference attracted more changemakers and project professionals than ever. The conference provided hands-on, practical information and insights from keynote and session speakers selected for their expertise and passion.

The population of Africa has grown rapidly over the past century, making it the second most populated continent, with around 1.37bn people and a growth rate of more than 2.5% per year. This makes the continent fertile ground for new projects and investments.

Findings from PMI’s 2021 Talent Gap Report has revealed that the global economy needs 25 million new project professionals by 2030 to help organisations turn their biggest ideas into reality. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the potential for economic expansion in the long term is encouraging.

Read also: PMI holds virtual Africa Conference 2021

George Asamani, business development lead, PMI Sub-Saharan Africa, said that with the continent emerging slowly from the shadow of a global pandemic, it’s time to raise greater awareness about the project management profession.

According to Asamani, the skills and knowledge that can be brought to bear to transform organisations and help them exceed customer expectations have never been more important than now.

He posits that Africa is one of the youngest, fastest-growing regions globally, holding enormous opportunities for project professionals and changemakers. “As a virtual event, this year’s Africa Conference is an incredible opportunity for learning and professional development to all changemakers in Africa and around the world,” said Asamani.

Asamani states further that the conference opened Changemakers and Project Professionals to opportunities across the continent and the skills that will continue to grow in demand for project professionals.

“Changemakers are the many people who need project-based skills and insights to get work done, tackle their challenges, secure career opportunities and realise their ambitions to improve livelihoods,” said Asamani.

Eddie Obeng, professor and organisational theorist in a keynote address tagged, ‘Leading together to Successful Change’, highlighted how practitioners can harness the opportunities of the changing, complex, and ambiguous world through interdependent innovation and project delivery.

According to Obeng, Africa’s young population will inevitably reshape the world of project management. Hence, the reason for the dedicated track focusing on youth enablement.

The PMI conference opened opportunities for delegates to learn about the latest best practices, challenges facing professionals and strategies being put in place to meet Africa’s demanding environment, and equally provided networking opportunities.