Working in Africa

One of the overriding reasons for returning to South Africa was the opportunity to make a real difference, not just in South Africa but Sub-Saharan Africa. Lofty ideals I know but if we don't believe that we can make a difference as individuals then we should do the proverbial "pack your bags and go home".

There is so much to do in Africa and not enough people to do it. This gives us the platform to drive real change as individuals and organisations, which makes Africa a very attractive place to work.

... and change is happening! I was amazed to see how much the country had changed in the three years that I was away. Everywhere you look there is development - roads, telecommunications and social. The roll-out of telecommunications networks across Africa will change the continent forever. Large multi-nationals will follow the telco and cellco companies and competition like we are seeing in South Africa will make it so much more affordable.

But remember, don't expect a developed country/continent (infrastructure included). This country and continent are developing by definition; which is both positive (there are opportunities) and negative (it takes longer to get some things done).

Technologically speaking, much of Africa has the opportunity to leapfrog the developed world. Unencumbered by decades of legacy infrastructure and technology, African organisations can rapidly low cost and smart solutions. Contrast this with my experience abroad where a lot of my time was spent adapting architectures and technologies for brownfield* environments. Africa must surely have many of the remaining greenfield sites to be found anywhere.

Lastly I would like to add that we have a responsibility as individuals and organisations to ensure that this change happens in a professionally positive way.

* The redevelopment of existing urban, suburban and rural properties already served by infrastructure including "brownfields" sites, that are or may be contaminated, stimulates growth and improves a community's economic vitality. Development in existing neighborhoods is an approach to growth that can be cost-effective while providing residents with a closer proximity to jobs, public services and amenities.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
http://www.realtor.org/sg3.nsf/pages/brownredev?OpenDocument

What is a Distinguished Engineer?

I have been asked this question many times and decided to put some thoughts down onto "paper".

Firstly some facts (as at time of writing): There are about 400 Distinguished Engineers (DEs) within IBM's global technical community of almost 200,000 people (of a total of almost 400,000 people employed by the organisation).

Being recognised as a DE is the top technical achievement in IBM apart from IBM Fellow.

A DE is a technical executive and is promoted to that position for outstanding technical contributions and leadership. There is no single career path to becoming a DE as every DE is unique. Some people are promoted to DE as a result of being prolific inventors or patent holder. Others are globally recognised experts in their respective fields, contributing to their clients' success and IBM's growth.

DEs are integral members of their units' executive teams, demonstrating leadership to these units and across the company by consulting with management on technical and business strategies and their implementation. They often have operational responsibilities for large, complex technical projects, and may have line management responsibility as appropriate.

So all DEs are unique but everyone has a passion for IBM, it's technology and it's people.

I myself was recognised as a DE in the early part of 2008, which was the realisation of a long-term goal and something that I will always value deeply.

ITWeb: IBM wants innovation for Africa

The local arm of technology giant IBM is hungry for more African investment, which will be driven out of the South African office.

The company has placed a large emphasis on the African market over the last two years, investing $120 million in those operations. “IBM has an innovation agenda, which we plan on taking through to the rest of Africa with our partners and clients,” says newly-appointed IBM SA CTO Clifford Foster.

He says the company is best placed to drive the concept through its African Innovation Centre (AIC), based in Johannesburg. Foster says IBM SA, as the headquarters of Sub-Saharan Africa, will be responsible for driving growth in the area.

“This traditionally was handled by the company's European divisions, and will now be taken on locally.”

IBM will implement AIC concepts at the University of Nairobi, setting up a laboratory there by early 2009, and possibly in one or two other African countries, such as Nigeria, later in the year.

Big Brother?

Foster says one of the focuses for this year will be to promote IBM's concept of the “smart planet”.

The idea is to have all the available devices with function and value connected. “There are many field devices in the world at the moment, acting individually. Mobile phones, traffic cameras and RFID tags are all being used for their own specific implementations.”

Foster says the idea is to link these devices through the growing infrastructures available locally and in Africa and drive intelligence between them. He points to a case in Stockholm, where the city is using traffic cameras and monitoring systems to reroute traffic. “It has been extremely successful.”

According to Foster, systems like this will become more valuable in Africa as the countries' economies grow. He says one application could be in SA for the coming 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Smart approach

Foster admits the continued global economic situation has curbed spending; the applications of the “smart planet” need not be promoted as a commercial venture. He adds that the concept can be used in various projects, including monitoring of water systems, electricity supplies – specifically with the ever-present electricity shortage locally.

“Emerging markets will still need to spend money on fixing the issues they have. In SA, for example, people will have to spend money to fix the electricity crisis and why not spend it on a solution that will help make smart decisions and make better use of the resources we have?”

According to Foster, these concepts can be tailored to suit whatever problem, or business process that needs to be addressed.

The company is also approaching the African market with a more culturally sensitive hand, adds Foster. “It is no longer acceptable to go to Africa with a South African ideal. We are looking to leave behind things like skills transfer and working with countries to promote innovation that will work for each place.”

Original article

Channelwise Africa: Predictions