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PMI Says Strong Partnerships Are Required To Bridge The Gap Between Education and Employment
Non-profit professional association and global advocacy group for the project management profession, Project Management Institute (PMI) has recognised that linkages are required between education and employability so that young skilled Africans are able to deploy their skills in formal employment where available or create their own opportunities through effective entrepreneurship. As the future of work becomes more projectised, project-based skills will become essential to helping changemakers turn ideas into reality and overcome complex challenges.
PMI predicts the global economy will need 25 million new project professionals by 2030. In its Talent Gap report, it attributes this demand to an increase in the number of jobs requiring project management skills, economic growth, and retirement rates.
A shortage of this critical skill could pose considerable risk to organisations as they rely on project teams to implement strategic initiatives on time and on budget. Globally, the talent gap is being exacerbated by the post- pandemic ‘Great Resignation,’ which has seen workers quitting their jobs.
In Africa, however, “we observe the opposite trend,” says George Asamani, PMI’s Business Development Leader for Africa.
“The continent graduates around 11 million young people from schools and universities each year, according to Junior Achievement Africa. This presents the continent with an opportunity to leverage this demographic dividend to address shortages of project management professionals in the developed world – while also developing the project skills to help young Africans build the conditions for much broader economic participation at home.”
PMI has successfully partnered with universities in Sub-Saharan Africa to provide practical courses to help students while still at university to understand how to apply project management skills for delivery in the real world. Through a train-the-trainer model, lecturers and professorial staff at universities are trained to teach project management skills to reach as many students as possible across all disciplines.
“While some universities include these courses as part of their overall fees so that students receive project management training free at point of delivery, others deliver the training as additional pay-as-you-go courses. Regardless of how universities choose to build these critical project management bridges into their curricula, PMI provides 60% discounts on all certifications received by university students,” says Asamani.
PMI together with Microsoft has also built the Citizen Developer courseware available to partner universities or directly to individual students. Microsoft estimates that an emerging class of citizen developers will create 450 million apps over the next five years using software development dubbed “low-code / no-code”.
“The execution of all projects today relies heavily on digital ability. 86% of IT decision-makers say the biggest challenge to digitally transform their business is too few developers. That’s where the power of citizen development comes in,” says Asamani.
In Africa, PMI has partnered with the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) which seeks to add US$ 10 billion to the African economy by creating 10,000 new businesses on the continent. PMI’s own research shows that one of the five most common causes of entrepreneurship failure is execution risk, or the inability to deliver projects successfully.
In response, and together with the TEF, “PMI has developed a webinar series that guides young African entrepreneurs build businesses and execute projects by successfully managing risk through ideation, strategy and delivery,” reports Asamani. The webinar series also supports young African entrepreneurs directly with mentorships provided through the TEF.
PMI also partners with the African Leadership Group, composed of the African Leadership Academy (ALA), the African Leadership University (ALU) and the ALX career accelerator to empower young Africans with project management skills.
At ALA, PMI works with undergrad students who during their first-year present ideas which are formally critiqued, marked and refined. During the second year, students work on delivering their ideas practically, supported by mentors through the PMI South Africa Chapter.
“Today, beyond education, where we are already doing a lot of work – we also need to find ways to work with government and the private sector to reach and empower a much broader segment of young Africans. All of us have a role to play in creating a more confident and readily employable workforce,” concludes Asamani.
At the recently concluded NextNow Business Forum in Victoria Island, MTN Nigeria electrified the business community with a live demonstration of its forthcoming Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS), a solution engineered to redefine how Nigerian enterprises connect with their customers.
Unlike traditional communication systems, MTN’s CPaaS is built for the realities of a mobile-first market. The platform unifies SMS, voice, WhatsApp, email, and more into a single, intuitive interface. This approach is especially significant in Nigeria, with over 107 million internet users, 45.4% of the total population, according to Data Report. This figure underscores the necessity for businesses to meet customers where they are.
During the demo, attendees witnessed how CPaaS enables two-way, real-time conversations between brands and customers. The platform’s support for rich media, instant analytics, and seamless integration with business workflows drew particular attention. These features are designed to empower businesses with data-driven insights and the agility to personalise every interaction, whether it’s a service notification, marketing campaign, or customer support exchange.
Akinbulejo Onabolu, Head of Enterprise Segment at MTN Nigeria, articulated the vision: “CPaaS gives enterprises the flexibility to interact with their customers on their preferred platforms; whether it’s chat, voice, or messaging, in a way that feels personal and immediate. We’re looking forward to the value this will unlock for businesses across industries once it launches.”
The fireside chat added depth to the conversation, with Omowunmi Olatunbosun, Head of SME Segment at MTN Nigeria, and Stephen Agbi of Bayobab, highlighting how digital engagement bridges the gap between businesses and audiences.
They emphasised that today’s consumers demand immediacy, relevance, and ease, qualities that CPaaS is built to deliver.
The stakes for digital transformation in Nigeria are high. In a report by Punch, the country’s enterprise tech market is projected to reach $22 billion by 2027, reflecting a surge in demand for scalable, cloud-based solutions that drive efficiency and customer loyalty.
The CPAAS Acceleration Alliance have estimated that globally, the CPaaS market is expected to grow from $14.7 billion in 2025 to $72.4 billion by 2035, at a compound annual growth rate of 18.4%, a testament to the platform’s transformative potential.
The event’s closing keynote from META’s Korhan Yunak reinforced the strategic value of digital channels like WhatsApp, which are now indispensable for business communication and engagement at scale.
As MTN Nigeria prepares for the Q3 2025 launch, the anticipation is unmistakable. With its promise of flexibility, intelligence, and seamless integration, MTN’s CPaaS platform is set to become the backbone of next-generation business-customer engagement in Nigeria, enabling enterprises to not just communicate but to connect, adapt, and grow in a digital-first era.
MTN Uganda is seeking input from stakeholders on a plan to structurally separate its mobile money service, MoMo, from its core telecoms business.
According to the company, the proposed change will be discussed at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on July 2.
If approved, the telco’s fintech business will be run by a new company controlled by MTN Group Fintech Holdings B.V. and a trust benefiting minority shareholders following a merger.
Additionally, the restructuring also aligns with MTN Group’s ambition 2025 strategy which aims to unlock value, attract new investors, and strengthen regulatory compliance by creating standalone fintech entities in Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The company’s fintech division has over 13 million customers, with an 18.4% revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, driven by 19.0% growth in mobile money services, 19.8% growth in transaction volumes, and a 31.4% increase in transaction value.
Reports say the decision is part of the telco’s compliance with the National Payment Systems Act 2020, which mandates mobile money businesses to operate as standalone entities, and to align with MTN Group’s regional fintech strategy.
MTN Uganda, which is led by CEO Sylvia Mulinge, highlighted that the implementation of the proposed transaction will be subjected to a number of conditions and regulatory procedures.
“The implementation of the proposed transaction shall be subject to a number of conditions, including the company and MTN MoMo receiving all required regulatory approvals and no-objections and complying with any regulatory conditions,” said MTN Uganda in notice.
Netflix has announced plans to invest more than €1 billion in Spanish film and television productions over the next four years, reinforcing its commitment to Spain as a key creative hub in Europe.
The announcement was made by co-chief executive Ted Sarandos at an event held at Netflix’s production studios near Madrid, celebrating the company’s 10-year presence in the country.
Sarandos emphasized that the investment would contribute significantly to Spain’s economy, create jobs, and enable the streaming platform to produce more local content. He was joined by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in unveiling the initiative.
Netflix first established its international production studios in Madrid in 2019, following the success of the Spanish-language hit series Money Heist.
Since then, its 22,000-square-meter facility has become one of Netflix’s major production centers within the European Union.
The company currently supports over 20,000 jobs in Spain, highlighting the nation’s growing influence in global entertainment.
The investment reflects Netflix’s ongoing strategy to expand its presence in European markets through original content and local talent.
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