Data Infinity, a firm specializing in ICT solutions has initiated measures to enhance the caliber of ICT professionals employed in both public and private sector organizations. This initiative follows the establishment of a state-of-the-art practical assessment center in Nairobi, marking a significant stride in the realm of contemporary ICT evaluation.
Located at the firm’s central headquarters and training hub in Nairobi, Kenya, this novel facility is specifically designed to furnish human resource managers and chief technology officers with an impartial means of appraising the practical aptitude of job applicants in diverse ICT responsibilities. Through a systematic assessment, it gauges candidates’ competence in areas like coding, programming, system design, and database management, thereby ensuring alignment with specific job requirements.
During the inaugural IT Day event, Tim Kitonyi, the CEO of Data Infinity, unveiled the center and emphasized a prevalent gap, estimating that approximately 60 percent of newly recruited ICT personnel lack the requisite practical skills and theoretical knowledge. This deficiency not only leads to additional training costs but also hampers the timely implementation of crucial IT solutions within these organizations.
Kitonyi emphasized Kenya’s pivotal role as a major source of ICT professionals for the wider African market, highlighting its standing as the ‘Silicon Savannah’ within the East African region. He attributed this distinction to several factors, including a thriving tech ecosystem, a pool of digitally adept talent, favorable geographic positioning, and ICT-centric public policies.
One of the key challenges identified by Kitonyi is the difficulty in identifying competent IT professionals amid the surplus of less proficient candidates. Despite the burgeoning demand for specialized IT experts, there is a dearth of practical platforms to accurately assess the capabilities of potential hires beyond their formal certifications.
In a concerted effort to bolster the growth of indigenous IT talent, Data Infinity has made substantial investments in fulfilling requisite training and certification standards. Addressing the projected demand for 120,000 specialized IT professionals by 2030 necessitates an estimated investment of Kshs 48 billion.
Recognizing Africa’s potential to adopt advanced technological solutions, the company has fostered local expertise through strategic alliances with global technology leaders such as Oracle, Red Hat, and Acronis. This collaboration enables the delivery of cutting-edge enterprise ICT systems, tailored training programs, and robust cybersecurity solutions.
Citing research data, Kitonyi highlighted Africa’s escalating requirement for software solutions catering to comprehensive organizational needs, anticipated to grow at an annual rate of 10 percent between 2022 and 2032. He underscored the amplified demand for data insights, customer analyses, and various business processes, attributable to the proliferation of digitization and the accumulation of data across diverse enterprises.
