SAP Drives East African Business Innovation with AI and Cloud Transformation

SAP Shares Bold Vision for Enterprise Management with East African Stakeholders

East African business leaders, technology partners, and SAP experts gathered in Nairobi to explore how AI and cloud technologies are influencing enterprise management across the region. Shiraz Khota, Managing Director: Emerging Africa at SAP, highlighted how organisations are accelerating transformation by integrating the latest data and cloud solutions.

Khota emphasized that with SAP’s expanded Joule AI assistant, businesses can improve operational efficiency and boost productivity by up to 30%. This AI integration is transforming multiple business processes, enabling companies to work smarter and faster.

Insights from SAP Innovation Day Kenya

The event is part of a global series designed to demonstrate how technology drives growth, innovation, and sustainability while helping organisations address new challenges. It introduced SAP Business Data Cloud and SAP Business AI as tools that deliver significant value within the broader SAP Business Suite.

Experts shared practical advice on how AI and cloud technologies can future-proof enterprise applications, helping companies extract actionable insights from data and enhance decision-making processes.

Addressing the AI Skills Gap in Africa

SAP’s recent research reveals a strong demand for AI skills across African organisations. According to the SAP Africa’s AI Skills Readiness Revealed report, 90% of companies face challenges due to a shortage of AI expertise. This includes stalled innovation, difficulties taking on new projects, and client losses.

Nearly half of Kenyan organisations expect a significant rise in AI skills demand this year. Khota noted that companies must adapt by developing or augmenting their workforce skills, including collaborating with implementation experts to support transformation.

Bidco Africa’s Cloud and AI Journey

Bidco Africa, a major FMCG manufacturer with over 800 SKUs across eight factories, showcased its transformation from legacy systems to SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The company has used SAP ECC since 2010 and is now migrating to cloud solutions to leverage AI capabilities.

Vimal Shah, Chairman of Bidco Africa, described the move as a critical step to maintain market leadership. He highlighted how AI will enhance agility, innovation, and customer experience, while supporting product development for sustained growth.

In the next phase, Bidco Africa plans to extend AI and cloud deployments into procurement and manufacturing, further modernising its operations.

Strategic Takeaways for Product Development Professionals

• Adopting a clean core strategy allows for faster innovation by ensuring enterprise systems remain agile and cost-effective.
• Integrating AI tools like SAP’s Joule assistant can lead to measurable productivity improvements and streamlined workflows.
• Investing in AI skills development or partnering with expert ecosystems is essential to meet increasing AI demands in the workforce.
• Migration to cloud-based ERP solutions offers scalability and access to advanced analytics that inform better product decisions.

For product development leaders, these insights underscore the importance of blending AI and cloud technologies into business processes to stay competitive and innovative.

To build relevant AI skills that align with these enterprise transformations, explore Complete AI Training’s latest courses designed for professionals aiming to upskill efficiently.