[Africa Cloud Review] Simon Ngunjiri: Increase in connectivity and broadband services is driving huge demand for cloud services in Africa
In our last Africa Cloud Review article, we highlighted extensively how cloud providers are fighting for a share of the growing cloud market in the continent. As this market grows, it is generating a lot of interest and deals as cloud players and providers position themselves to take advantage of this boom.
As this happens, the demand for cloud experts is also on the rise. In May this year, tech giant Google announced a new programme to offer new scholarships for Android, Web and Google Cloud development to developers across Africa. The programme will be offered in partnership with tech talent companies Pluralsight and Andela. A total of 40,000 scholarships will be offered to developers spread across Mobile and Cloud development tracks and, at the end of the training, the top 1,000 students will earn a full scholarship to certify in Android or Cloud development. Last week, Global IT consulting firm Accenture also launched the Accenture Cloud Engineering Centre in South Africa to train hundreds of cloud engineers in efforts to fuel Africa’s cloud computing boom.
According to Willie Schoeman, MD of Accenture Technology in Africa, in an article published by IT Web, as data traffic demand and cloud adoption continue to soar in South Africa, the increase in connectivity and broadband services is driving huge demand for more data centres, leading to a widening skills gap.
In May, Amazon Web Services (AWS) also announced that it’s bringing its re/Start cloud skills training program to Kenya and South Africa this month as part of its rapid expansion plans this year. AWS re/Start is a free, full-time, 12-week program designed to support people who are unemployed or underemployed, and who have little technology experience, for careers in cloud computing. The program provides participants with new cloud computing skills, career and resume coaching, and interviews with local employers.
With all these reports, it’s clear that the continent needs more cloud computing skills. IT professionals in the region need to gain skills in cloud and data architecture due to the rapidly increasing number of organizations subscribing to integrated cloud services in recent years.
Google Cloud
With 24 regions and 73 zones in 17 countries, Google Cloud delivers high-performance, low-latency cloud services to customers. In Africa companies like Incentro have been at the forefront in offering Google Cloud services.
Last week, the company was credited by DigiCloud Africa for its role in expanding Google Cloud in the continent and subsequently being recognised as the Google Cloud Expansion Partner of the Year – Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
In March this year, the company announced that it has achieved the Google Cloud Partner “Work Transformation” Specialization, in the Google Cloud Partner Specialization Program. By earning the Partner Specialization, Incentro Africa has proven their expertise and success in building customer solutions in the Work Transformation field using Google Cloud Platform technology – such as technical implementation, change management, training and ongoing premium support.
Google Cloud and SAP SE also last week announced an expanded strategic partnership to help customers execute business transformations, migrate critical business systems to the cloud, and augment existing business systems with Google Cloud capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
Simon Ngunjiri Muraya is Google Cloud Architect at Incentro Africa.
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