Degrees Vs Skills: Africa’s Tech Debate

Across Africa, organisations are talking loudly about skills shortages, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. What’s less clear is whether the way we build and sustain technology talent is genuinely keeping pace with that conversation.

Genevieve Koolen, HR Director at SAP Africa, says there is a noticeable shift away from purely qualification-led hiring toward skills-based thinking, but cautions against overstating how far this has actually progressed.

“We like the idea of a skills-first approach,” says Koolen. “In practice, many organisations are still deeply attached to traditional credentials, even while saying they can’t find the talent they need. There’s a tension between what the market says it wants and what it still screens for.”

That tension is becoming more visible as demand grows in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing and data analytics. Organisations are increasingly defining roles in terms of specific technical capabilities, yet the pipelines producing those skills remain slow, uneven and often disconnected from real work.

Recent research into African enterprises shows that companies are increasingly defining roles by specific skills in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing and data analytics. In a study commissioned by SAP, 85% of organisations identified AI development skills as a priority, while 86% ranked cybersecurity capabilities as critical.

Systemic overhaul needed

“There’s a lot of talk about AI skills as the new currency,” Koolen adds. “But currencies only work if there’s a functioning system behind them. In many African contexts, we’re asking for advanced capabilities while under-investing in the basics such as access, foundational training, mentorship and realistic on-the-job exposure.”

This gap is partly driving interest in short, intensive learning formats such as micro-learning and micro-credentials. Designed to build focused skills over weeks rather than years, these programmes are often positioned as a solution to Africa’s tech skills shortage. Koolen urges caution.

“Micro-learning can be powerful when it’s well designed and tightly linked to actual roles,” she says. “But it’s not a silver bullet. A six-week course doesn’t replace experience, judgment or systems thinking. The risk is that we oversell speed and underplay depth.”

For many professionals, however, short-form learning is simply more realistic than stepping away from work to pursue long, expensive qualifications. “Most people can’t afford to pause their livelihoods,” Koolen notes. “Bite-sized learning allows movement, but only if employers are willing to support learning on the job, not just tick a training box.”

While surveys suggest that many African organisations now offer regular training, Koolen is clear that frequency does not equal effectiveness. “Offering monthly learning is not the same as building capability. Too often, training exists in isolation from workforce planning, role design and actual delivery pressure.”

Call for cross-sectoral collaboration

Closing the skills gap, she argues, requires more honesty and collaboration across sectors. “Education institutions, business and the public sector all have a role, but alignment is still weak. We’re not short of initiatives; we’re short of coherence.”

Within SAP’s ecosystem, targeted programmes such as graduate bootcamps and early-career development initiatives aim to bridge some of these gaps by combining technical training with real project exposure. Koolen sees these as useful — but again, not sufficient on their own.

“They work because they’re intensive, contextual and tied to real demand,” she says. “But they don’t scale easily, and they don’t solve the broader systemic issues around employability, access and long-term career progression.”

Universities across Africa are experimenting with edtech platforms and stackable credentials to stay relevant, yet Koolen believes higher education is still wrestling with its purpose in a rapidly changing labour market.

“The question isn’t whether degrees still matter,” she says. “They do. The question is whether we’re honest about what they prepare people for, and what they don’t.”

Traditional MBAs and long-form qualifications continue to offer strategic breadth and critical thinking, but on their own they no longer meet the immediate needs of organisations grappling with fast-moving technologies.

“The future isn’t either-or,” Koolen concludes. “It’s layered. Foundational education, practical experience, short-form learning and vendor-specific skills all matter. The danger is pretending that one quick fix will solve a problem that’s structural, uneven and deeply human.”