In the latest Opportunité Africa podcast by Connect Africa, an Africa-focused business networking community that aims to connect and leverage African skills and knowledge in Southeast Asia and Africa, founder Brendon Jones speaks to Carl Endenburg of Copper Quail and Africa Deployments, Mauritius, on the recruitment landscape in Africa.
Carl moved to Mauritius in April 2017 to launch Copper Quail which is a specialist headhunting business specialising in finding rare skills in Africa and then co-founded Africa Deployments in 2018 as a professional Employer of Record business to align with established headhunting solutions in Africa.
He tells Brendon how the human capital landscape in Africa has evolved over the last two decades with returning diaspora adding the benefit of their experience and know-how to take their home economies to the next level of development.
Edited excerpts from an exclusive interview:
Brendon: What trends are you seeing in terms of human capital requirements?
Carl notes that Africa is a very exciting continent right now with the growth in its economies presenting a pleasant contrast to the muted economic environment in other regions.
“Africa is rich in various metals – be it gold, platinum, diamond or silver – and the types of skills that are required are on the mining side, be it drilling operations, mining engineers, mechanical engineers, or electrical engineers. There is demand for renewable energy skills – suffice it is to say that they are lighting up Africa!” he emphasises.
Moreover, he notes that FinTech skills are also in high demand, as, be it Nigeria or Kenya, there is a lot of innovation that Africa is witnessing in the digital financial services space.
Finally, against the backdrop of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Carl notes that manufacturing is also gaining significance with a lot of excitement on the ground as several big players such as global confectionary major Cadbury have moved into Africa.
Brendon:Touching upon the 20 years of your experience, how has the skills landscape changed since you were involved in human capital recruitment?
Carl notes that the recruitment landscape is a study in contrast as, twenty years ago, they were mainly placing expats and infusing external skills into Africa while 90% of the placements in Africa currently are made up of locals.
“We put in a lot of effort into encouraging nationals, let’s say Nigerians nationals based in the States, and Ugandan nationals based say in London, to return home,” he avers.
He adds that the returning diaspora makes for an exciting time for the local employment landscape as a number of these individuals have made considerable income over the years, whether in the US or in the UK, and are now coming back to invest both ideas and funds in their home economies.
At the same time, Carl cautions that more needs to be done to retain locals in their home economies, especially in critical sectors such as healthcare and electricity where there has been pervasive labour migration from Africa to Europe. At a country level, he notes that Zimbabwe, which is currently experiencing an unparalleled unemployment rate of 95%, is seeing an unprecedented exodus of local workers who are desperate to earn overseas and send the money back home to support their families.
Brendon: Statistics say that 40% of the population on the continent is less than 15 years old. What are the drivers for their skill development, going forward?
To this, Carl notes that youth skills development must be a long-term process that is well planned and implemented. What is important here is for the big companies coming into the region – especially in employment-intensive sectors such as manufacturing and mining – to take responsibility for upskilling locals by investing in a skills development programme and infusing those employable skills in the country.
“For instance, a glass manufacturer that had taken over a business here on the ground realised that there were a lot of expats in the business. After they bought that business, they realised they could run the business equally, if not more, efficiently with locals. The skills are there, we just need confidence in the guy’s delivering on that potential, with the right guidance and support,” he stresses.
In addition, Carl emphasises that the youth are thriving from skills development within the emerging FinTech and technology sectors that are driving key African economies.
Brendon: In your experience of having worked across Africa in various economies, are there any particular ones that have got the skills balance right?
Carl notes that Rwanda and Kenya are two names that come to mind. He hails Rwanda as a shining light in growing skills in Africa as this country has effectively used new innovation with a large international investment in upskilling locals.
“In 15-20 years, they have become a leader in IT programming as well as in the FinTech area. We are looking for programming skills in Mauritius and they are asking me to search for people from Rwanda,” he exclaims.
He adds that Kenya also ranks high among African countries that have invested in developing local skills. With their home-grown mobile wallet solution m-Pesa being rolled out across Africa, it is clear that the East African economy has come a long way and is setting an example for fellow economies in the region.
Brendon: Post-COVID, people have become a lot more flexible in terms of working from home and using MS Teams etc to interact. Are you looking at leveraging this trend to create remote teams?
Carl explains that remote teams are basically those that are based in one region and are conducting work in others. Here, he notes that South Africa is growing its Business Process Outsourcing sector, and so are Botswana and Namibia.
“For instance, we are currently employing people in Namibia who are German speaking to undertake call centre intervention for the travel industry. This is an exciting situation as you can use it to create a team in Africa and offer services in Europe. Typically, employers chose a payroll outsourcing solution which means that there is a local firm that hires the employee and takes charge of the local payments, local labour laws, contractual issues, and local taxation,” he explains.
Brendon: Where can you help clients or people who want to set up on the continent?
Carl notes that Africa Deployments has a footprint in 46 African countries. As long as a company has a business idea that it wants to bring to life and needs a project-based office, they can help them to bring the project to life. Be it NGOs, road construction or mining, Carl emphasises that they can support projects across a diversity of sectors.
“We sort out work permits for expats, opening bank accounts, payroll and statutory taxes. It works very well because we set up in most countries within a week,” he explains.
Brendon: Coming to retention, how does one build a solid base of staff? What must employers focus on?
Carl notes that COVID has taught people to value their time and to use it wisely. It has meant an increased focus on self-worth and an expectation by candidates that their time will be respected.
“If you don’t get back to them within a week, the candidate will simply state that they are not interested in working for such a client. Managers of companies must conduct themselves professionally at all times because the market is small and the market talks. Word will get out there and you don’t want anyone on social media to talk negatively about you,” he cautions.
To expedite the recruitment process while ensuring the right outcome, Carl also emphasises that companies must use the right tools such as personality and psychometric tests that help to establish at the outset if the individual is aligned with the company culture and ethics.
Finally, for a management role, he recommends cognitive tests to establish whether a candidate has what it takes to be a CEO, an MD, or an operations director.
On a parting note, Carl stresses that companies must strike a balance between due deliberation and agility in their recruitment decisions. “Take time to find the right person – but when you do find the right person, move quickly on it,” he concludes.
Enjoyed the insights? Listen to the detailed podcast here.
