Gebeya, the brainchild of Africa’s network of software developers – CODERS4AFRICA, has today committed to satiate the growing demand for qualified Information Technology (IT) professionals in Africa through the Gebeya Workplace platform. “Gebeya Workplace will enable entrepreneurs, startups and corporations to very quickly hire independent IT professionals who are highly trained and certified at competitive market rates,” said Gebeya’s Co-founder and COO, Hiruy Amanuel. Gebeya, which is one of the continent’s premier IT services platforms, will seek to increase the visibility of IT talent in the continent – with the intention of increasing opportunities for IT professionals whilst reducing IT operational costs for businesses and organizations in Africa and the world at large. “Kenya has the highest level of internet penetration and is home to a lot of multinationals and Fortune 500 companies that will accelerate customer acquisition. Additionally, Kenya’s technology industry is nearing maturity; with a current population of 47 million, internet penetration stands at 52.3 per cent, placing it in the lead board in Africa. This has increased the use of technology to foster growth and efficiency – which has, in turn, led to increased demand for highly skilled professionals in the IT sector,” Amadou Daffe pointed out. Kenya is currently placed next to Russia and ahead of high and middle income countries such as Italy, Turkey and Greece with regards to the highest bandwidth per person in Africa and the government continues to invest in digital infrastructure resulting to an increase in economic opportunities powered by technology. Furthermore, Deloitte’s latest Human Capital Report reveals that nagging financial pressures on businesses are leading to further staff reductions and increased mobility (particularly among the millennial generation) – which are factors that serve as grist to the mill for the gig economy. Conversely, however, the sharp increase in demand for well-rounded IT professionals has exposed the fact that there exists a lack of professionalism among the individuals responsible for building the IT architecture; as projects take longer to complete and a significant number of programmers are not adequately equipped with the skills required to handle the scope of projects in today’s dynamic market. To this end, Gebeya, through the Gebeya IT Academy (launched in October 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) is keen to address the growing IT skills gap in the continent. The Academy, which was born out of the need to satisfy the growing need for qualified technology professionals from local and international businesses setting-up in various parts of the continent, will provide IT professionals in Kenya with access to practical training in software engineering and development with supplemental training in professional English (written and spoken) and communications to enable developers to eloquently communicate with potential clients and comprehensively capture project information. The Gebeya Workplace platform has already enrolled over 100 qualified and vetted IT professionals from varied parts of the continent
