ITNewsAfrica.com: What does SAP Month of Service entail and what is your primary goal in Africa?
Dr. Dammann: This is my second visit abroad after I have recently joined SAP’s executive board in July this year. My presence here marks our strong commitment to South Africa and Africa as a whole. Africa plays an important role in our growth strategy and today (12 October 2010) marks the beginning of our community services work in South Africa. Our aim is to develop our leaders and ensure people around the globe get access to education. We are very focused on technology leadership and CSR initiatives, with SAP being a global player in business application covering 65% of this particular market.
ITNewsAfrica.com: You have mentioned leadership. How important is leadership to you and how can it benefit our educational system?
Dr. Dammann: As an HR person, I believe in leadership, the individual and the processes as elements that bring success in a corporation. I think Africa could benefit from a mix of an inspirational leadership and practical learning opportunities. We need good examples and this is why SAP has ranked South Africa’s top employer this year.
ITNewsAfrica.com: In which ICT projects is SAP actively involved in making a difference in Africa?
Dr. Dammann: We have training centers in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg. We started various projects to get children exposed to technology through ERP4schools. We have created University Alliance Programme which allows students to gain knowledge about SAP software through a hosted solution. We have various internships and graduated programs to offer.
ITNewsAfrica: SAP has recently introduced game-based training for the African market. Will SAP involve local developers in future to benefit the local market?
Dr.Dammann: Training can be achieved in different ways and SAP ERP simulation is still in a pilot phase. We will probably involve local developers in our offerings at a later stage. We are continuously tapping into other areas of expertise and the global acquisition of Sybase is a good example.
Denisa Oosthuizen, Johannesburg
