The project is aimed at promoting skills development on the continent and in alignment with SAP’s Skills for Africa programme. According to Vanguard, the Academy situated in many states across the nation including Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt is expected to enable a large number of skilled young people to boost their labor market relevance through specialized SAP technology skills training. As a product of SAP Education Africa, the SAP Smart Academy courses have been designed to help students learn how to effectively leverage the power of SAP technology solutions and drive greater proficiency within a variety of organizations and industries. According to SAP, only individuals students (students) that are actively enrolled at a tertiary academic institution may take part in the Smart Academy training as the offering has been tailor made to meet their levels of affordability. For this reason, no SAP customers are eligible to participate. In partnership with various local West-African Partners, the SAP Smart Academy utilizes world-class SAP infrastructure and facilitators and teaches end-users through live as well as on-line courses. On completing the program, successful participants will be given a globally-recognized certification. “For the youth of Nigeria, the benefits of this initiative lie in the fact that individuals who aspire to advance their careers can gain the skills to compete in the vibrant SAP market.” Pfungwa Serima, CEO SAP Africa, said. “Graduates of the SAP Smart Academy will become certified associate-level functional consultants who will be in a position to secure the competitive edge they require in applying for positions within SAP’s vast ecosystem,” said Serima, adding that , “The SAP Skills for Africa programme continues to deliver on its promise to upskill Africa’s talented youth. With about 10 million young African youth arriving on the labour market annually, obtaining additional skills that would render them more marketable within their environment is no longer negotiable, it is necessity, he added. The SAP Smart Academy’s 20-day long courses cover a range of popular SAP solutions ranging from SAP Financial Accounting and SAP Human Capital Management, to SAP Server Implementation & Operation or SAP ABAP Workbench.
