Page 85 - Forbes - Africa (March 2020)

FORBES AFRICA
share of the fleet industry sooner rather
than later,” explains Sudesh Pillay on
fleet management company EQSTRA’s
online platform. The supply chain will
no longer be affected by driver fatigue
and human error. Driverless cars will
also dramatically impact accident rates
(lowering them by 90%, according
to some estimates) and supply chain
efficiency. As Innovation Group’s Future
Now report indicates, autonomous cars
face some serious challenges across
Africa before they can become a practical
alternative to human drivers. “There is
a vision, in the not-too-distant future,
in which self-driving cars hold a lot of
promise…. Others are more skeptical
about the practical feasibility, especially
in Africa where the infrastructural
limitations (roads, electricity etc.) hold
back the vision, at least in the foreseeable
future. Our research indicates that self-
driving cars may only become a reality
in South Africa in [15] or more years and
that this may spur innovative advances
in infrastructure, energy services and
ultimately the look and feel of roads and
cities.”
3. CLIMATE CRISES AND
NATURAL DISASTERS
Key takeaway: Hire a Chief Sustainability Officer to
start building climate resilience into your business.
“Now is the time to start thinking seriously about
resilience,” says Hugh Tyrrell, Director at Green Edge,
a corporate mentoring initiative in Cape Town that
helps businesses develop sustainably. “The big brands
have Chief Sustainability Officers (CSO). This role is in
the C-suite and is forward-thinking,” Tyrell explains.
CSOs look at how businesses can start developing their
own power, lower their eco-footprint and manage
their resources better. Looking to the big corporate
trendsetters, there are some major shifts in corporate
Photo via Getty Images of growth at all costs. Unilever, for example, is holding remote working are having a moment,” explains Williams.
strategy focusing on a sustainable business model instead
their suppliers to the same eco-friendly standards that
they themselves are working at, says Tyrrell. Natural
disasters associated with the climate crisis are already
affecting African businesses too. Explains Tyrrell, “In
FORBESAFRICA.COM
THE LIST
agriculture, which is a big sector in Africa, we are seeing the
effect of droughts or floods. Others have to work more closely
with their suppliers to ensure supplies come in good condition
and on time.” Mining is another industry heavily impacted
by the climate crisis – and the push by consumers for more
environmental-friendly solutions.
4. THE AGE OF CYBERATTACKS AND DATA BREACHES
Key takeaway: Make sure your IT department includes
skilled data protection specialists.
As businesses innovate and rely less on physical hardware like
servers, and start instead relying on the cloud, they can expect
to see a massive uptick in cyberattacks and subsequent data
breaches. This trend increased exponentially in 2019 (even the
City of Johannesburg in South Africa was held by ransomware)
and is set to explode in the coming decade. Added to this,
businesses are collecting more data than ever before, particularly
for marketing purposes and to tailor their product offerings.
Because of this, businesses should prepare themselves for the
onslaught by firstly, taking their online security very seriously,
secondly, training their staff (employees are the weakest link
in any security chain) and thirdly, putting more budget behind
appropriate security measures. “The demand for narrow
cybersecurity expertise is driven by a constantly changing threat
landscape, as well as evolving technologies, such as cloud or IoT.
As a result, we see the bigger demand in, for example, threat
intelligence analysts and dedicated threat intelligence services,
and experts for cloud platform protection. The call for data
protection specialists is seen in both technical and regulatory
and compliance aspects,” says Alexander Moiseev, Chief
Business Officer at online security software Kaspersky.
5. THE REMOTE WORKFORCE
Key takeaway: Flexi-hours and working remotely are practical
ways to combat challenges like loadshedding and traffic.
With intermittent power supply (particularly in South Africa),
increasing traffic and less reliance on physical IT infrastructure
like servers, the remote and flexible workforce is becoming
a norm. Says Moiseev, “The working model is already being
changed, with 40% of small and medium companies regularly
allowing their employees to work at locations outside the office
— from home or while traveling.” In addition, health scares like
the coronavirus are amplifying these trends. “Apps that enable
“You now get filters to add makeup to video conferences so you
don’t have to dress up when you’re working from home.” Many
employees expect the flexibility of remote working when job
hunting, and businesses reap the benefits of agility.
MARCH 2020 FORBES AFRICA | 81