{"id":1238,"date":"2013-07-20T14:22:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-20T14:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/projects\/horsesforsources\/charlie_aird_eastafrica_parti_072013\/"},"modified":"2013-07-20T14:22:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-20T14:22:00","slug":"charlie_aird_eastafrica_parti_072013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsesforsources.com\/charlie_aird_eastafrica_parti_072013\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr Charlie airs the BPO potential of East Africa, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Charlie Aird contemplates process transformation outside of Mukono, Uganda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

There’s been so much talk the past couple of years about which levers need to be pulled next to squeeze more value and efficiency from BPO services, with many firms fearing they’ve hit a wall beyond shifting as much labor arbitrage as they can to India, Philippines, Mexico and Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n

Yes, you can standardize and automate more processes to reduce your reliance on manual labor inputs, and even re-invent your processes to eliminate unnecessary tasks. \u00a0And yes, you can replace legacy on-premise software with modern SaaS solutions that negate the need for so many IT and process administrators to keep your workflows ticking along.<\/p>\n

But how about exploring an entirely new<\/em> continent for talent availability that can pull an entirely new lever of efficiency and potential value for your business: \u00a0East Africa. And who better than a veteran global services luminary<\/a>, in his fifth decade of experiencing global sourcing, \u00a0to take a sabbatical from advisory work to get up close and personal with the potential of this region? Without further ado, over to you, Charlie Aird…<\/p>\n

East Africa \u2013 BPO Diamond in the Rough<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Charlie\u201d, PwC\u2019s Global Leader of Shared Services and Outsourcing was recently awarded a 5 week sabbatical by his firm. He volunteered to do mission work in Uganda. He and his wife are sponsors of Debbi Hobbs, his sister-in-law, with the International Justice Mission. Charlie was providing services to a not for profit, micro-financing organization that is focused on IT startups. Since he was not busy enough, Charlie provided pro bono consulting services through PwC in Uganda and Kenya. Charlie leveraged his experiences from living in India and working in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America to provide services to Kenya and Uganda.<\/p>\n

Introduction to East Africa<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When people think about Africa, they often think of the vast Sahara desert, the metropolis of Johannesburg or the game parks across the region, but often forget the vast continent in between.\u00a0 East Africa has many unique and positive facets that make it a great opportunity for further BPO expansion.\u00a0 The population speaks English and has a neutral accent that is very easy to understand for either British or American based multinational companies (MNC).\u00a0 Unemployment is high, even among the young and educated, providing a large supply of workers that can translate their current skills to a BPO atmosphere.\u00a0 Salaries are still at a low level, especially for the language skills provided.\u00a0 Some levels of infrastructure are much higher than one might expect, for example, cellular and wireless services are widespread, even in remote areas, though sometimes electricity is not.\u00a0 In many ways East Africa resembles India 20 years ago or even Costa Rica of the recent past – largely agrarian economies that have a demographic bulge of young, educated workers that are looking for opportunity and employment at the next level.\u00a0 With the right levels of investment from MNC and government, East Africa can be the next sourcing designation for BPO.<\/p>\n

Country Spotlight \u2013 Kenya<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Kenya attained independence from Britain in 1963 and is the most stable democratic nation in East Africa.\u00a0 The country just had a presidential election, viewed by the western press as a difficult political process but internally as a transition. Although inflation has been high at points in the 2000s, both inflation and the currency are currently stable.\u00a0 Kenya\u2019s economy has grown at 7% a year since the global recession began, largely attributable to the telecommunication industry and innovation in IT services. In order to attract investment, Kenya has implemented the following tax exemptions:<\/p>\n