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Africa Warming to Global Outsourcing Business, CBC Says

By Edris Kisambira

October 16, 2008 — IDG News Service —

Africa is growing in strength, capacity and capability in the global business of outsourcing, according to the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC).

"We believe [Africa] will compliment countries already within the outsourcing sector -- such as India, China and Philippines -- and will bring its own diversity into the mix to make the sector even more competitive," said Mohan Kaul, CBC director general.

Kaul made his comments ahead of the first Africa Outsourcing Summit, which will be hosted by CBC Technology from Nov. 27 to Nov. 28 in London.

According to a recent McKinsey report, the global outsourcing market in 2008 is estimated to be worth US$150 billion, with the potential to double. African nations are now vying for a share of the business with vastly improved connectivity, proximity to key markets, multilingual skills, lower wage costs and suitable time zones.

Topics up for discussion at the Africa Outsourcing Summit include major outsourcing trends, the size and composition of the talent pool on the continent, the outside world's perception of Africa, and key differentiators of African nations from outsourcing giants like India.

This summit, which follows the CBC's flagship Africa Business Forum held in July, will also offer a platform for nations to showcase their attractiveness to European companies that are currently looking to expand their outsourcing options.

At the summit CBC Technology and Cybermedia will release a report that will benchmark 15 African countries from an outsourcing perspective, Kaul said. The report will highlight the key issues facing these African nations and will provide a starting point for discussion for all parties that wish to tap into the lucrative outsourcing market.

CBC Technology is a subsidiary of CBC that promotes innovation in high technology sectors and enables governments, industry, academies and investors to venture into new greenfield projects.

 

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