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According to the African Development Bank, African economies are showing resilience with a stable outlook for 2023-2024, despite tightening global financial conditions. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund has projected a 2.9% growth for the global economy this year.
Despite this economic downturn, there is still a serious talent shortage. According to Project Management Institute (PMI), there will be a need for 2.3 million people each year to fill all project management-oriented positions expected to open by 2030.
During this decade, sub-Saharan Africa will witness a 40% growth in PMO employment opportunities. “Despite these economic conundrums, PMI’s Job Trends Report 2023 notes that the construction, energy, and information technology sectors are well placed to continue playing a key role in the sub-Sharan economy as job creators,” says George Asamani, MD, PMI for sub-Saharan Africa.
Foreign direct investment to African countries hit a record $83 billion in 2021, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2022.
Reuters estimates that $100 billion in energy projects are currently under consideration, including a $30 billion liquefied natural gas export terminal in Tanzania backed by Norway’s Equinor and energy giant Shell.
“The job market across sub-Saharan Africa has been experiencing a major boom, with project management skills in heavy demand,” says Fatuma Haghe Adan, senior project manager at AI platform Sama in Nairobi, Kenya. The demand for a project management skillset is evident in the experience of Kenya-based Wanja Murekio, PMP, who learned from a recruitment firm that “project professionals have become one of the more expensive hires because demand is so high.”
Google, Microsoft, and Visa are among the major tech companies that have opened or launched innovation centers in African countries.
“There are non-traditional ways of acquiring skills demanded by the industry. The globally recognised credential, Certified Associate of Project Management (CAPM), is one such,” adds Asamani.
This view is supported by Adan, who says, “A project management certification gives one a competitive edge in the job market. Experience with AI or software development can likewise provide a boost, even for those positions not strictly in the IT sector.”
Asamani concludes that there is a continent-wide acceptance that infrastructure projects can reset the status quo. With $600 billion pledged by the G7 countries to fund projects in developing economies and the government’s own efforts to build back better, we could see more jobs being created that will need project management skills.
