Employers responsible for developing talent in Africa

While many global companies are expanding, or seeking to expand in Africa, the availability and
retention of talent is proving to be one of the main challenges facing growth and expansion on
the continent. According to Lebo Tseladimitlwa, VP of Human Resources at DHL Express Sub
Saharan Africa, talent is perceived to be one of the major challenges facing business leaders in
the region, with 83%1 of African CEOs admitting that they are especially worried about
availability of key skills on the continent.
Tseladimitlwa says that in addition to this statistic, the PWC Africa Business Agenda1 report also
reveals that most CEOs expect to increase and maintain staff headcount in the next year. In
Africas competitive labour environment, these statistics highlight that attracting and developing
the right skills is crucial.
Tseladimitlwa adds that it is therefore important to adopt leadership styles which will support and
nurture the skills and talent needed for growth. Essentially, talent will no longer be the main
concern when it comes to employees skill-sets, but rather the leaders ability and responsibility
to teach and develop these skills.
She adds that a recent EY survey2 reported that while managers in Africa are perceived to be
performing well at day-to-day operational activities, they are considered to be less capable
when it comes to people management, especially in relation to retention, productivity and
engagement.
Globally, it is reported that only one in five3 companies are providing additional training and
development to existing staff, proving that employers are not doing enough to address talent
shortages. In Africa, these efforts are likely to be significantly less when compared to the rest of
the world, and therefore intensifies the need for programs to be implemented.
Motivated People forms part of our global FOCUS strategy pillars, ensuring that we provide
great service quality which results in loyal customers and ultimately a profitable network. We
consider our Employee Engagement programs to be critical to our business success.
Understanding the need to drive a common culture across 220 countries and territories, we
launched a Certified International Specialists (CIS) learning and development program for all
3,500 staff in DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa. Everyone from the Global CEO to a Courier in
any country has gone through this training program reinforcing our core competencies as an
organization. CIS training has been central to our staff retention and development globally.
Certified International Manager (CIM) is an extension of CIS, and is focused on ensuring that we
have leaders with the correct balance between IQ and EQ to lead tomorrows workforce. Each
module targets various behaviours and leadership practices; for example, CIM1 is centered
around respect-focused behaviours and getting results without comprising respect.
In addition to our employee recognition programs, we also have an internal development
program called Made In Africa, that produces a sustainable and dynamic list of future leaders
that can succeed Africa Management Board positions, Country management positions and
senior functional roles. The program reduces the historical dependency on expatriate imports,
and improves skills of the talent pool.

Deutsche Post DHL Group

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We are fortunate to be the most international company in the world, which enables us to give
our employees the very best learning and development opportunities. Our diverse network,
which spans across 220 countries and territories, provides the perfect platform for employees to
learn and share experiences in different markets. The value of cross-country, on-the-job learning
is immense, Tseladimitlwa added.
Tseladimitlwa says that employers in Africa need to foster a continuous learning and
development culture and encourage employees to be masters of their own destiny. As
competition on the continent for human talent increases, companies need to work even harder
on their talent strategies.
-EndsNote to editor:
1
PWC Africa Business Agenda
2
Realising potential: EY 2014 Sub-Sahara Africa talent trends and practices survey
3
ManpowerGroup: Talent shortage survey

DHL The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. DHLs family of divisions offer an
unrivaled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery,
international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With
more than 325,000 employees in over 220 countries and territories worldwide, they connect
people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized
solutions for growth markets and industries including e-Commerce, technology, life science and
healthcare, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate responsibility and
an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is decisively positioned as The logistics
company for the world.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 56
billion euros in 2014. For more information: www.dpdhl.com
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