In business, ground-breaking events that shake up every department and force leaders to take a long, hard look at their processes are incredibly rare – and we’re talking global pandemic levels of rare.



While companies scrambled to mobilise their workforce and ensure business continuity during the COVID-19 crisis, some aspects of the old normal simply don’t fit with customer expectations now the dust has settled. Face-to-face selling, for example, is out. But with customers inundated with virtual meetings, time is a valuable asset, so building trust with your customers and acting with empathy are more important than ever.



So, what foundations do you need to have in place to empower your people to sell with empathy at scale? According to our global <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-sales/">State of Sales</a> report, more than 3,150 sales professionals in South Africa think the top trends are greater flexibility, better and more accessible data, and simplified sales processes.



With South African sales teams at the forefront of innovation in response to the challenges of the pandemic, let’s find out how our respondents overcame these challenges and what they think the future of sales looks like for the region.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-agility-and-flexibility-are-key-to-meeting-customer-demands">Agility and flexibility are key to meeting customer demands</h2>



The rise of remote working has caused the boundaries of work and homelife to blur, which means customers expect your sales team to be more available – But having reps available 24/7 is not a realistic option for everybody, so building strong relationships with customers before a sale is vital – a point that 90% of sales professionals in South Africa agree on.



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>With Salesforce enhancing our processes, we’re able to work at the pace and standard that we need to in order to continue to grow and transform as a business<cite>Marius Burger, CIO, SEACOM</cite></blockquote></figure>



The starting point for this might not be what you think. It requires taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture of your business operations – 89% of respondents in South Africa commented that reps are increasingly recognising their value to the company’s core strategy and supporting growth and continuity. This presents an opportunity to really drill down into the skills across the sales team and bridge the gap between the sales experience and business operations to streamline collaboration.



Flexibility is key, with 82% of South African sales teams reporting that they’ve taken on new responsibilities at work during the pandemic. Clearly, good things are happening, because 66% expect these changes to be permanent.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><a href="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1279" height="719" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa.png" alt="" class="wp-image-409330" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa.png 1279w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa-300x169.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa-820x461.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa-140x80.png 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa-768x432.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1279px) 100vw, 1279px" /></a></figure>



Benchmarks have also shifted, with 84% citing that success metrics have changed, and this is where technology steps into the spotlight, because agile technology that adapts and changes with your business needs and provides real insights into KPIs is the best tool to safeguard business against uncertainty.



For the 80% of South African respondents who reported significant changes in how they use sales technology, not being able to accommodate the shift could have been disastrous. Dave Keefer, Business Development Manager at KBAC echoed a common sentiment in a recent <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/blog/2020/08/KBAC-utilise-digital-transformation-crisis.html">blog</a>: “We were concerned that leading a traditional workplace into the digital age would not be an easy task, but it’s hard to be agile when your processes are paper-based, and the door to digital that we opened led to some pretty remarkable places, especially in the wake of COVID-19.”



Insight selling, video conferencing, and other tech-intensive sales tactics have become increasingly valuable, along with AI and integrated CRM platforms that can help sales team work effectively from anywhere and reveal compelling insights based on real-time customer data to supercharge those video conferencing calls, as demonstrated by KBAC.



“We turned to Salesforce to make our operations more efficient and connect better with our customers. We used <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/uk/products/sales-cloud/overview/">Sales Cloud</a> to monitor our KPIs and qualify leads, and then customised it to automate processes for jobs and orders,” says Keefer. “Collaborating on <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/uk/products/chatter/overview/">Chatter</a> has been revolutionary. We’re suddenly communicating a lot better, with teams chatting directly on the opportunity and account pages. When it was time to reach out to customers, access to real-time data helped them coordinate their efforts.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-richer-data-more-accessible">Making richer data more accessible</h2>



Users across organisations are increasingly mining data from as many sources as possible to get 360-degree visibility of their customers, with the average set to increase from four in 2019 to six in 2021 in South Africa. For the sales team, a better understanding of the customer powers insight selling. And this isn’t something that’s ‘nice to have’; while being data-driven is a differentiator right now, with the speed of innovation it will soon become the new normal, so companies need to act now.



Centralising data on one platform can help to unlock this visibility and build a more connected customer experience, combining first-party data, with insights from social listening, and even tracking micro trends in the industry through the media. While 87% of South African B2B buyers expect businesses to have a good understanding of their needs, 62% think companies are failing to deliver here, making it an excellent opportunity to get an edge on the competition.



Also consider that all this data is only as good as your visualisation capabilities, which is where tools that can easily turn data from multiple sources into customisable dashboards are so valuable to help your reps get a deeper understanding of customer needs. Again, with 74% of South African respondents feeling that interactions are transactional, not personal, this in another area to really help differentiate your team – especially as 95% of customers expect your sales people to act as a trusted advisor.



AI solutions can take this a step further by analysing lead history to work out which new leads are most likely to convert and helping reps prioritise where they should spend their time. And the more data you put in, the more accurate the solution will get at predicting.



The end result is that you can automate manual processes and empower your team with the time and insights to give customers an engaging, personalised experience, whether that’s remotely or in-person as lockdown restrictions ease.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simplifying-complex-processes">Simplifying complex processes</h2>



Using multiple tools is complex, but centralising processes and data on one integrated platform can be transformative. An advanced CRM platform can help free your team from data-logging and can manage the entire sales pipeline from opportunity to close. Learn what your sales team’s pain points are, and look for a feature-rich solution with capabilities that will have a real impact on their working day.



One South African Trailblazer who transformed sales is <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/customer-success-stories/seacom/">SEACOM</a>. Shereen Rimmell, Head of Business Operations reveals: “Now that everything gets handled in <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/form/conf/testdrive/?leadcreated=true&amp;redirect=true&amp;DriverCampaignId=70130000000sUVq&amp;FormCampaignId=70130000000tHIg">Sales Cloud</a>, we’re able to do our jobs much more effectively. The general feedback has been: ‘Wow, the Business Ops team are really on the ball now!’ That’s been huge.”



The implementation has boosted speed and efficiency, streamlined customer onboarding, and reduced manual input with more automated processes. CIO, Marius Burger, comments, “With Salesforce enhancing our processes, we’re able to work at the pace and standard that we need to in order to continue to grow and transform as a business.”



SEACOM’s success mirrors a general trend among South African reps: they have more confidence in their organisation’s ability to succeed than other regions. For example in South Africa:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>74% have confidence in their ability to close deals</li><li>72% have confidence in the organisation’s agility</li><li>76% have confidence in the business’s long-term resiliency.</li></ul>



These figures are between 7-12% higher than global industry averages, and may be down to South Africa’s higher than average flexibility and adaptability. Service teams are considerably more likely to have taken on more responsibilities and changed their success metrics since the pandemic, and the region has a much bigger focus on building trust with customers before a sale, which are all key ingredients in resiliency.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meeting-customer-demands-in-store-in-person-and-online">Meeting customer demands in-store, in person and online</h2>



The picture in South Africa is optimistic, but confidence alone doesn’t drive success. It needs to be combined with the right technology, processes, and data to give customers the personalised, compassionate selling experience they expect in-store, in person, and virtually.



Smart solutions can free your team from manual work and empower them with the insights to have conversations that close deals, but investing in next-generation technologies like AI now will help to maximise the potential of data and unlock greater predictability – something that will continue to mature and get more intelligent the more data you feed into it.



Giving your customers what they want now is amazing. Giving them what they want before they realise they want it will blow the competition out of the water, and help to build the trust that will help your company grow – global pandemic or no global pandemic.



Take Sales Cloud for a spin with our <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/form/signup/testdrive/?d=7013y000002K0qnAAC&amp;nc=7013y000002K0raAAC&amp;utm_source=cnbc africa&amp;utm_medium=display&amp;utm_campaign=emea+za+slobcon_gtm&amp;utm_content=dcs+test_banner+7013y000002K0qnAAC&amp;ban=ZA">interactive </a><a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/form/conf/testdrive/?leadcreated=true&amp;redirect=true&amp;DriverCampaignId=70130000000sUVq&amp;FormCampaignId=70130000000tHIg">tour</a> and find out how to transform your business with 360-degree visibility and smarter workflows.

Business presentation

The face of sales in South Africa is changing. Find out how to thrive in the new normal

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">We need to be extremely agile, we need to be customer-focused, and we need to make it happen in an extraordinarily fast way<cite>Steven Friedman, CIO of RAM Hand-to-Hand Couriers </cite></blockquote>



Customer service reps have had an extraordinary year. While no role was left untouched by the global Covid-19 and economic crises, the service team often acts as the face and voice of your business and the first point of contact for customers. And case volumes from anxious and confused customers skyrocketed.



With such a sharp and unexpected increase in demand, the focus has been on maximising existing resources through employee agility and investments in new technology. In South Africa, 91% of respondents surveyed for our State of Service report said that processes and workflows have shifted for the service team since the pandemic, and 74% of global respondents reported that they’re more reliant on data than ever before.



While workforces pivoted to home working, making data accessible was a top priority, and luckily 80% of service agents in South Africa agree that they’ve got access to all the data they need to work remotely. The appetite for field services is still high, so highly available data and good workplace apps are critical to be able to meet the needs of today’s customer.



On the flipside, this increases the need for good training programmes to help agents get to grips with new technology and new processes. Read on to find out more insights from the 275 South African services professionals who responded to our <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-service/">global report</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-service-agents-need-to-be-agile-to-adapt-to-new-ways-of-working">Service agents need to be agile to adapt to new ways of working</h2>



In the early days of the pandemic, confused customers needed extra support at the worst possible time for many companies, who were busy mobilising the workforce and adapting their processes to keep the business running.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1279" height="719" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1.png" alt="Native" class="wp-image-407106" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1.png 1279w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1-300x169.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1-820x461.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1-140x80.png 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1-768x432.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1279px) 100vw, 1279px" /></figure>



One way of handling this was to temporarily bring in colleagues from other teams to support the service team – and that’s what 64% of companies in South Africa did. But 78% of decision makers still needed to invest in new service technology to empower the team to give customers the level of service that they were accustomed to.



The right technology can be crucial for adapting to uncertainty quickly, as Steven Friedman, CIO of RAM Hand-to-Hand Couriers comments, “We need to be extremely agile, we need to be customer-focused, and we need to make it happen in an extraordinarily fast way. Salesforce provides the backbone of what it’s going to take to overcome those challenges and really improve who we are and what we stand for.”



In addition to expecting round the clock services, customers are placing a bigger focus on finding companies who align with their personal values and have earned their trust. During the pandemic, 71% of global consumers reported that brands who showed empathy during the crisis have earned their loyalty, and while embedding a culture of compassion across the workforce is important, it’s the service team who have the most emotive relationship with your customers – listening to their concerns and finding a solution for them.



Insurance provider, Mont Blanc, offer fully digital services to give customers fast access to transparent and reliable information when selecting a policy. They can also self-serve to request a quote, and have access to a 24-hour claims line.&nbsp;



“Customers generally only contact us when they’re experiencing the stress of a loss, such as a car crash or damage to their home,” reveals CEO Nicola Iozzo. “To make life easier during this stressful time we’ve made it such that the claims process is as hassle free as possible, giving brokers access to everything they need to process the claim from a single dashboard so they can focus on being a reassuring and sympathetic voice to our customers.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-agents-expect-opportunities-for-growth-in-their-roles-and-a-career-path">Agents expect opportunities for growth in their roles and a career path</h2>



Service agents are playing an increasingly strategic role within the business and often act as brand ambassadors with a stake in the overall success of the company. In fact, Friedman comments, “One of the big main differentiators in the marketplace today is around customer service,” and the company has since set itself the goal of never losing a customer by offering truly outstanding service.



The skills that agents need to have are also becoming broader and more complex. Given the right tools and support, many have embraced this challenge and flourished, and 77% reported that they can now see a clear path for career development.



Around 80% of South African decision makers are making significant investments in employee training, but soft skills are still rated more highly among global respondents than hard skills:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>76% think communication is very important, making it the highest rated skill</li><li>71% said being able to listen is essential</li><li>62% rated adaptability as very important</li><li>57% reported that empathy is highly valued.</li></ul>



Time management, product knowledge, and digital skills were all highly rated too, and solutions such as Salesforce provide an excellent platform to support these skills. Darrell Sansom, Chief Customer and Innovation Officer at <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/customer-success-stories/axa/">AXA</a> understands the importance of soft skills and a good understanding of his customer’s challenges to improving customer satisfaction and personalising the experience: “To achieve a good rating, we need to deliver a personalized, omni-channel service. Small business owners are pushed for time; we need to make things as fast and easy for them as possible.”



Technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, chat bots, and self-serve are all worthwhile investments to free up your service team to focus on giving customers more personal and valuable interactions, while helping to reduce resolution times.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-evolution-of-field-service-drives-revenue">The evolution of field service drives revenue</h2>



Over the past year, consumers have come to expect to be able to interact with companies digitally. But when it comes to field services, <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/">two-thirds</a> of global respondents actively look for companies who can come to them, and organisations with strong field services are repeating the benefits.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1279" height="719" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2.png" alt="Native" class="wp-image-407107" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2.png 1279w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2-300x169.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2-820x461.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2-140x80.png 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2-768x432.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1279px) 100vw, 1279px" /></figure>



Field service is a key part of service strategies in South Africa for 88% of decision makers, with 84% citing that it drives a significant portion of revenue. Mobile workers have been categorised as key workers during the pandemic, but the onus is on businesses to keep them safe by instilling social distancing measures, better cleaning, and providing PPE. Only 60% of global respondents reported that their employer regularly performed wellness checks, which is an area that needs to improve to ensure high levels of employee satisfaction and lower staff turnover.&nbsp;



Other areas identified for improvement include inventory and asset management, which only 30% of staff think their company excels at, access to information and knowledge articles, which again scores 30%, and communication and collaboration, which score 41% and 36% respectively.&nbsp;



Field workers are especially dependent on digital tools. Look for solutions with specially designed capabilities that simplify workflows and give users access to everything they need on the go, including customer records, scheduling tools, maps, and knowledge articles.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-investing-in-people-is-a-trend-that-s-here-to-stay">Investing in people is a trend that’s here to stay</h2>



The pandemic has undoubtedly been a catalyst for change for service teams, but it’s also been a great opportunity for companies to become more adaptable and learn how to maximise resources. By accelerating innovation, many organisations have established best practices that will help to improve customer satisfaction and empower their field service agents.



With the role of the agent becoming more strategic, reps are feeling more valued and optimistic about their career development, so it’s an excellent time to nurture your talent with training programmes to help them learn new skills – both soft skills and digital.&nbsp;



But the one thing that has proven unshakable despite the pandemic is the firm belief by service teams in South Africa that customer satisfaction is the single most important metric, and behind every great customer interaction is an empowered and happy employee.



If you want to become a customer service superstar, check out the <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/form/signup/service-guided-tour?d=7013y000002K0qpAAC&amp;nc=7013y000002K0rcAAC&amp;utm_source=cnbc africa&amp;utm_medium=display&amp;utm_campaign=emea+za+svclobcon_gtm&amp;utm_content=dcs+test_banner+7013y000002K0qpAAC&amp;ban=ZA">Service Cloud guided tour</a>. Immerse yourself in this interactive tour of the latest agent tools, featuring self-serve capabilities and rich data insights.

Young creative business people meeting at office.

Customer service in South Africa: how businesses are embracing agility to deliver memorable experiences

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“We want to have the right conversations with our customers at the right time on the right channel.”<cite>Sagren Pather, Executive Head of Digital, Direct Marketing, and Marketing Analytics, Standard Bank</cite></blockquote>



Whether it’s email content updating in real-time or the ever-increasing ways to personalise experiences – digital innovation has accelerated at a rapid pace. And so too have the challenges of the marketer.&nbsp;



Customers want empathetic and valuable interactions – and they want them at the right time, in the right place. Keeping up with the latest, up-to-the-minute needs of the customer has never been more relevant, or more important.&nbsp;



So, we surveyed 200 marketing leaders in South Africa as part of our <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/form/pdf/6th-state-of-marketing/?sfdc-redirect=227">global report</a> on the State of Marketing to find out what’s trending, and how they’re overcoming their biggest challenges.



Here’s what we found out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-marketers-need-the-right-it-to-harness-customer-trends">Marketers need the right IT to harness customer trends.</h2>



One of the biggest difficulties faced by marketers today is the pressure to engage with customers on the right channel, at the right time, with personalised content. (And this isn’t limited to B2C interactions either: the increasing demand for consumerised experiences in the B2B sector was confirmed by 82% of global market leaders.)



The key to achieving this consumer-centric approach is through smarter use of data – but this is easier said than done. Respondents in South Africa listed their main challenges as unifying customer data sources, and balancing personalisation with customer comfort levels.



“We want to have the right conversations with our customers at the right time on the right channel,” said Sagren Pather, Executive Head of Digital, Direct Marketing, and Marketing Analytics at <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/customer-success-stories/standard-bank/">Standard Bank</a>. “Customers who have a high-quality experience are more likely to keep doing business with a brand and buy additional products.”&nbsp;



This is a common vision among companies in South Africa. To get there, marketing leaders need to use modern tools and technology to unlock that single view of the customer – so they can innovate and scale and at speed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trust-and-transparency-are-vital">Trust and transparency are vital.</h2>



Unlocking a single view of the customer isn’t just beneficial to the marketing team: it’s central to providing an amazing customer experience across sales, service, and ecommerce. <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/state-of-the-connected-customer-report-outlines-changing-standards-for-customer-engagement/">A whopping 89% of South African customers</a> say their experience with a company is just as important as its products and services.



It’s no surprise, then, that today’s marketers are more involved across the entire customer journey. In fact, 69% of global survey respondents think traditional marketing roles limit customer engagement. But marketers are breaking free from these constraints to make the customer experience more seamless, as demonstrated by the 64% who use 360-degree visibility to put marketing comms on hold if customers have an open service case.



And then consider this:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>More than 75% of marketers in South Africa share goals and metrics with sales, service, and ecommerce teams.</li><li>81% of respondents across the world collaborate with the sales team on account-based marketing programmes.</li></ul>



The trend for cross-team collaboration and a single view of the customer is here to stay.&nbsp;



In 2021, marketers predict they’ll pull customer data from at least six sources – up from four in 2019. “We need solutions that enable our teams to capture and analyse data from different sources to better understand our customers and prospects,” said Pather.



And with data firmly in the spotlight, respondents predicted that new data regulations are set to have the biggest impact on marketing in the next 10 years. As a result, building trust with customers by using their data wisely and sensitively will be vital: 58% of customers say they’re comfortable with their data being used transparently – but only 63% of global companies are perceived as being transparent.



The companies that do win their customers’ trust will have greater opportunities. They’ll be able to use insight-rich data the customer has consented to sharing, such as first-party data and tracked browsing behaviour, across multiple touchpoints.



For example, Standard Bank uses <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/uk/products/marketing-cloud/overview/">Marketing Cloud’s</a> Customer 360 Audiences feature, which you can learn about in our <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/marketing-cloud/guided-tour/">guided tour</a>, to analyse how customers interact with its content and to capture metrics such as bounce and drop-off rates.&nbsp;“We wanted to close the loop with regards to form abandonment and improve overall conversion rates,” explained Pather. And that’s just what the bank achieved. “By using Customer 360 Audiences for retargeting in the pilot test, we’re seeing a 104% performance increase of personal loan leads, when compared to the normal way of targeting, combined with early indications of overall sales conversion uplift.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bringing-ai-into-the-mainstream">Bringing AI into the mainstream.</h2>



Innovation was cited as both a challenge and a priority for the months ahead – and the biggest opportunity in this space is AI. The top four uses of AI according to South African marketers are:&nbsp;



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Driving next best actions.</li><li>Personalisation.</li><li>Smarter segmentation and lookalike modelling.</li><li>Automating processes to give staff more time to focus on creativity.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3-820x429.png" alt="native" class="wp-image-407119" width="686" height="359" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3-820x429.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3-300x157.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3-140x73.png 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3-768x402.png 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3.png 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 686px) 100vw, 686px" /></figure>



With good data integrity, the possibilities of AI are game-changing. But you need to move fast, as it’s quickly becoming the norm for marketers, rather than a differentiator. In 2018, only 29% of global firms were using AI across marketing operations, compared to 84% in 2020.



Turning AI into a differentiator relies on companies using it to build unique experiences. One brand leading the way in this field is <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/ai-boosts-adidas-personalized-email-marketing/">adidas</a>. The company implemented Salesforce Customer 360 to create connected experiences for customers, and today it uses <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_pb_einstein_content_selection.htm&amp;type=5">Einstein Content Selection</a> (ECS) to personalise emails – even after the message is sent.



“Imagine if you received an email two days before a major holiday, and when you opened it on the actual day, the content reflected that moment in time? ECS allows us to be far more connected to our customers – adapting when we speak to them and what we’re speaking about to meet their needs,” commented Robert Lochrie, Vice President of Digital Products at adidas.



This level of innovation will give companies a significant competitive edge during challenging times.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adapting-and-thriving-in-the-new-normal">Adapting and thriving in the new normal.</h2>



In this rapidly changing environment, adapting quickly is the only way to survive. And when it comes to digital, companies need to walk before they can run.&nbsp;



That means investing in robust, reliable, and flexible technology – and creating a central repository of high-quality data to prepare for getting creative with AI and exploring the opportunities of 5G.



Customers are looking for empathy and personalisation when they interact with a company, and the smartest way to make sure you’re meeting those needs is to build strong relationships and invest in social listening. The right tools give you the power to get predictive and proactive, which creates a better experience for your customers and better results for your business. Remember: when your customer feels like they’re winning, you’re winning too.



If you’d like to get up close and personal with Marketing Cloud take the guided tour <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/form/marketingcloud/guided-tour/?d=7013y000002K0qoAAC&amp;nc=7013y000002K0rbAAC&amp;utm_source=cnbc africa&amp;utm_medium=display&amp;utm_campaign=emea+za+mktlobcon_gtm&amp;utm_content=dcs+test_banner+7013y000002K0qoAAC&amp;ban=ZA">here</a>; learn how to build smarter marketing campaigns in our immersive, hands-on experience.

We’ll ensure your query gets answered

South Africa’s top marketing trends – and how to make them work for you

In 2019, Forbes magazine <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zarkodimitrioski/2019/02/13/how-much-money-is-in-the-global-marketing-industry-more-than-we-believed/?sh=2ab410b917c3">reported</a> that the global marketing industry was worth $1.7 trillion worldwide. Last year, the estimated total for global digital advertising and marketing alone was <a href="https://www.reportlinker.com/p03646022/Global-Digital-Advertising-and-Marketing-Industry.html?utm_source=PRN">$322.5 billion</a>, projected to reach $640.2 billion by 2027. These numbers are evidence of marketing’s growing importance as a central consideration in companies’ business imperatives. The Nedbank IMC, an integrated marketing conference aimed at South African and African marketers and trademarked as Marketing is BusinessTM, seeks to ignite conversations that encourage the critical consideration of the business of marketing and its migration from backroom to boardroom. 



From having traditionally been regarded as a tactical cost centre, executives are now eyeing marketing as an investment and driver of growth. When global consulting firm McKinsey conducted <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/views-from-the-top-what-ceos-and-other-execs-really-think-of-marketing">research</a> two years ago seeking to probe C-suite opinions of marketing, it was found that CEOs were in support of marketing’s “mission and growth agenda”. This changing perception could be summed up by one respondent who said that marketing and data had become the “first-class citizens in a way they were not four to five years ago.” This “first class” citizenship came down to two main aspects: the measurability of marketing, and the ability of marketing to demonstrate complete ownership of the customer.



In a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbooksauthors/2021/05/20/marketing-at-the-crossroads-backroom-button-pushers-or-boardroom-influencers/?sh=53ee19073db4">Forbes magazine column</a> published earlier this year, Dr Debbie Qaqish, a chief strategy officer, underscores the point of customer ownership. She writes that sales teams may only become aware of customers once they are already 70 to 80 percent of their way through the buyer’s journey, while marketers have full visibility of the customer from the get-go, thus being able to influence &#8211; and own &#8211; the customer journey from beginning to end.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="533" height="800" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-533x800.jpg" alt="native" class="wp-image-406777" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-533x800.jpg 533w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-53x80.jpg 53w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-768x1153.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2.jpg 850w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px" /><figcaption>Dale Hefer, CEO Nedbank IMC</figcaption></figure>



Today there around 8,000 marketing technology tools which marketers can leverage in determining how data can be harnessed to drive proactive and responsive campaigns that not only meet but anticipate customer needs throughout the buyer journey. C-suite executives are becoming cognisant of how this powerhouse of information can significantly impact the company’s profitability and growth. The <a href="https://www.teradata.com/Resources/White-Papers/Forging-the-Future-of-Customer-Experience-CMO-Council-and-Teradata-Research">CMO Council reports</a> that 91 percent of marketers felt that there was an expectation by senior management and board members for marketers to drive measurable growth, with one in three saying that their business leaders felt it was the&nbsp;primary mandateof marketers today.



However, this brings with it certain challenges. The marketing function is being driven beyond branding and into the realm of customer experience and revenue growth.&nbsp;The CMO Council’s research points to the struggles of marketers as they wade through abundant data, and the emphasis this now places on marketing leaders to understand how to integrate customer data, scale customer insights, turn insights into action, and build the customer-experience culture. As many as 60 percent of marketers were reportedly unhappy with the depth and granularity of customer insights, while over 30 percent admitted to not having the data to know, let alone anticipate, their customers’ needs.



Conversely, marketers are also faced with criticism by CEOs over the analytics used to measure campaigns, particularly in the digital marketing and social media space. For example, C-suite executives are critiquing an over-reliance on measurements which for them have no overt link to business goals and growth. Behavioural targeting platform Bango <a href="https://marketingtechnews.net/news/2021/jun/02/65-of-uk-ceos-think-marketers-focus-on-analytics-too-much/">suggests</a> that instead of quoting social media statistics to C-suite executives, such as the number of likes, retweets, impressions and followers, marketers would be better off using social media marketing to collect insights into what customers are buying; focusing on engagement that ties back to sales. Bango cautions that, in a survey of 200 UK-based CEOs, 62 percent felt that too much marketing budget is wasted on activities that don’t deliver meaningful results. If engagement doesn’t tie back to sales then it quickly becomes a huge drain on company resources.



Understanding that “Marketing is BusinessTM” is increasingly important, with the conversation between marketers and CEOs never as crucial as it is today. Marketers are operating within a constantly shifting terrain as marketing evolves from a cost centre to a profit driver. Within this context, CEOs must employ insight when considering marketing’s contributions to growth, ensuring that as a discipline it is neither side-lined (and excluded from boardroom decisions) nor its role in the company misinterpreted.



The Nedbank IMC will further this conversation (amongst others) at the annual virtual event scheduled for 29 July this year, as Nedbank Group’s CEO, Mike Brown, joins in conversation with Khensani Nobanda, the Nedbank Group Executive for Marketing and Corporate Affairs. The goal of the Nedbank IMC is that conversations such as these remain ongoing at boardroom level, where marketing’s identity can be firmly entrenched and its potential articulated against business goals.



For marketers, perhaps the one constant is that their domain continues to change and adapt, and this state of flux is the nature of the beast. Consider a McKinsey <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-changing-face-of-marketing">article</a> “The changing face of marketing”, which states that “change is the dominant&nbsp;fact of life in every business today. And the ability to master and exploit change has become one of the most sought-after management skills. This is particularly true in marketing, where the very tempo of change is constantly quickening.” While apt for the current business environment, these words were written in 1966. While marketing has always been a part of business, perhaps now 54 years later, it will finally be regarded as business.







Dale Hefer is CEO of the Nedbank IMC,&nbsp;Africa’s foremost integrated marketing conference&nbsp;aimed at local and African marketers, and a consecutively sold-out event in 2019 and 2020 (lauded as the “virtual benchmark”).&nbsp; This year’s event will be held on 29 July:&nbsp;One day. One stream. 18 top local and international speakers. No sales pitches – just hard-hitting and practical insights for anyone involved in any discipline of marketing.&nbsp; At any level. &nbsp;Marketing is Business™.&nbsp;



Dale is a former Businesswoman of the Year, award-winning entrepreneur and the bestselling author of the marketing book “From Witblits to Vuvuzelas’.&nbsp; Her second book entitled “Hustling, Happiness, and a Blow-Up Doll Named Percy” was launched on 20 May 2021. Dale is the founder of top advertising agency Chillibush, which she started in 1998 and sold in 2014. By then it was billing more than R100m per year.&nbsp;



For more information on the Nedbank IMC go to <a href="https://imcconference.com/">Nedbank IMC Conference</a>.



Website:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.imcconference.com">www.imcconference.com</a>



Facebook:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.facebook.com/IMCConference">www.facebook.com/IMCConference</a>



Twitter:&nbsp;@IMCConf

Map of Africa with Countries on blue digital background

Measuring the business of marketing

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="270" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-820x270.jpg" alt="native" class="wp-image-406017" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-820x270.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-300x99.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-140x46.jpg 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-768x253.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-1536x505.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4.jpg 1910w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



In April 2012, legendary US investor and market commentator Jim Rogers made a bold pronouncement: Farmers, not bankers would be the next group driving Ferraris and Lamborghinis.



In a popular <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2012/05/10/legendary-jim-rogers-brokers-going-broke-farmers-will-become-rich-very-rich/?sh=13f34305f2d2">interview with Forbes magazine</a>, he said:



“More people in America study public relations than study farming. We have no farmers. You went to Princeton; nobody you went to school with became a farmer. I went to Yale; nobody I went to Yale with became a farmer. The average age of farmers in America is 58 years old. In Japan, the average age is 66. In Australia, it&#8217;s 58.”



Fast-forward to 2021 and while there are not a lot of sports car owning farmers on the African continent [yet], the investment case for the Agriculture sector is intact.



The issues that Rogers touched on in this interview are incredibly relevant today. The training of young farmers on the continent, access to infrastructure and the rising cost of agriculture and “soft” commodities are all likely to be catalysts for the sector over the next decade. Considering that Africa holds more than 60% of the worlds uncultivated arable land and the sector counts for roughly 12 – 15% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the continent, it is critical that we embrace strategies for growing this part of the economy.



Looking at our deal pipeline for the bank and our ongoing engagements with clients, forward-thinking entrepreneurs and investors are prepared to take a 15-20 year view on the continent.



Agriculture for the most part has been a shining light for the continent and the investor community and governments have recognised that agri is a driver of a couple of key aspects:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Overall economic growth</li><li>Job creation, particularly entry-level and micro-entrepreneurs where the sector accounts for roughly 60% of jobs on the continent</li><li>Food security</li><li>A commitment from all stakeholders to invest in R&amp;D and critical infrastructure</li></ul>



To fully realise the benefits of the agri opportunities on the continent, this investment in infrastructure is critical.



Consider for a moment that 55% of the cost of agricultural products exported from Malawi consists of transport costs while approximately 20-25% of all cereal products produced on the continent are lost in the logistics chain.



South Africa has a very real challenge in that Transnet is our major mover of maize products but only has capacity to move 40% of the grain for export to the ports – the rest is forced to be moved via expensive trucking routes. &nbsp;We have often heard that it is cheaper to transport maize from the USA to Cape Town than from Viljoenskroon to Cape Town. Until we can build critical capacity in these areas, African produce will prove to be expensive and unreliable.



Sub-Saharan Africa remains a net importer of food and is missing out on the solid increases in commodity prices. This impacts the ability of countries to secure valuable foreign exchange revenue that governments require to fund budget deficits. &nbsp;



Fortunately, the continent is recognising that investment is required and there are a number of success stories that we can reference.



The Cashew nut industry in Kenya is getting the attention it needs after decades of regression as a result of government taking an investor- friendly stance toward capacitating this strategic sector.



In Tanzania – which currently imports 50% of its sugar requirements – government has deemed this commodity a strategic one. 5000 hectares and the equivalent of R1.5bn has been set aside to develop local capacity.&nbsp; We expect this investment in the entire sugar value chain to have a profound effect on the local sector here and build a product which will be export ready in the next decade. The Tanzanian government has also realised the folly of interfering in the Cashew nut sector, and has taken a much more investor friendly stance.



Countries like Mozambique, Rwanda, Malawi and Uganda have also seen private and public sector investment in infrastructure rise and we believe that this will receive a further kicker from the improvement in intra-Africa trade.



The fertilizer sector is another one which offers significant growth prospects and countries like Zambia are investing heavily here. For context of the scale of the opportunity, the average fertilizer application per hectare across the globe is 142kg. In South Africa, this currently sits at 66kg and sub-Saharan Africa is 19kg.



Closer to home, we have seen a bumper in Citrus crops and this represents a very significant export opportunity. While government often comes in for criticism, feedback from the industry suggests that the proposed investment in port infrastructure is expected to pay dividends and being well received by the local Citrus value chain. &nbsp;There are significant challenges, but the traction is seemingly in the right direction.



A key question that is often asked – primarily by our South African clients – is around the contentious issue of property rights and whether this is holding back investment on the continent. This question is closely followed by the one about security and whether this is impacting investment appetite, particularly in light of recent events in Mozambique.



The short answer is that while these issues are topical and important, as far as we can see it is not something which has significantly dampened appetite for investment in major agri projects, financially strong agribusinesses are still investing for the long run. &nbsp;



While we haven’t quite reached the farmers in sports cars stage in the development of local agriculture, there is no question that this is one of the economic bright spots on the radar and there are some very exciting projects that can be funded in the coming years.



As a Pan-African bank specialising in the agri sector, we look forward to working with our clients to facilitate their growth as we usher in a bold new era.



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CNBC Video Wall KV Visual Only-02

Farmers, Ferraris and harvesting good investments in Africa

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At MiX Telematics, asset management does not just mean helping companies track their vehicles and monitor their fuel consumption. It also means using data from connected vehicles to keep drivers safe, to route alarms to the transporter’s control room in just thirteen seconds, and to dispatch ambulances or roadside assistance to injured or stranded customers in a matter of minutes. We spoke to Rubeena Moosa, the Software Development and Applications Manager heading up a team of 10 Trailblazers, about how they make operations run seamlessly behind the scenes.







<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="647" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-820x647.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-402224" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-820x647.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-300x237.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-768x606.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-1536x1212.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Rubeena Moosa</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-us-more-about-your-role-at-mix-telematics">Tell us more about your role at MiX Telematics</h2>



I manage applications design and development, high-level architecture and solutions. I have a small but powerful team who’ve all been at the company for more than seven years—we’re like a family at this point! We are very passionate about our work and MiX Telematics has given us the opportunity and tools to design, build, and create excellent solutions. It’s very exciting, and by combining technical expertise with a thorough understanding of our business strategy we’re able to design solutions to help the company achieve its business goals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-kind-of-customer-experience-does-mix-telematics-aspire-to-provide">What kind of customer experience does MiX Telematics aspire to provide?</h2>



MiX Telematics solutions are delivered as SaaS to three-quarters of a million subscribers spanning more than 120 countries across the globe. Insurance providers often require their policy holders to subscribe to a tracking and recovery service, which gives us even more reason to give them a valuable experience to prove it’s worth having.



Our main goal is to be there when our customers need us, and do it as quickly as possible. That could be when a driver hits their panic button in the event of a hijacking, if they’ve broken down at the side of the road and need assistance, or if they’ve told us their car was parked at the mall and we notice it’s actually heading off down the highway! To respond quickly to customers depends on working closely with a network of partners, such as emergency and recovery services. If a customer’s alarm goes off, we aim to have it routed to our control room for action in less than thirteen seconds.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="528" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-820x528.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-402235" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-820x528.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-300x193.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-768x494.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-1536x989.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Topdown view of a highway in Cape Town, South Africa</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-were-the-challenges-you-faced-around-data-management-and-integration">What were the challenges you faced around data management and integration?</h2>



We’re a leading technology company and we use the best software available. All those tools need to integrate seamlessly to give us a single source of data and greater efficiency across the business.



We knew we needed a new solution during a period of rapid growth. We wanted to launch a new product, but vehicle tracking relies on being able to process a huge amount of data, such as automatic vehicle location (AVL) data and impact data. Our legacy Enterprise Service Bus system was struggling to process 300 messages per second, so we knew it wasn’t going to be able to handle the volumes needed to achieve our growth goals.



Following a proof of concept, we selected MuleSoft to streamline data and integrations across the business. A representative flew out from London to help us build our architecture from scratch to enable the solution to scale in line with the business requirements. It’s a good thing they did because today, via our integration with Apache Kafka, we’re processing 4,000 messages per second, which is 18.6 billion a year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-do-smarter-integrations-help-streamline-the-day-to-day-running-of-the-business">How do smarter integrations help streamline the day-to-day running of the business?</h2>



With MuleSoft integrating our core systems together with vehicle data, we have a 360-degree visibility of the customer. When we collect device data, we already know who the customer is, which services they pay for, and whether they’re up-to-date with payments. If they’re consistently failing to pay, we can suspend their services.



We can also work more closely with our partners. For example, we share information with insurance companies via APIs rather than custom integrations, and in return they pass us leads. All these seamless integrations impact efficiency across the whole organisation, and we can even onboard new customers – including getting confirmation from their bank – in 7 to10 minutes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-are-you-using-machine-learning-and-ai">How are you using machine learning and AI?</h2>



Once we built our architecture, it was easy to start collecting large volumes of data. After two years, we had enough data in the system to start using machine learning to help identify false positive alarms &#8211; so we don’t flood the customer with messages for no reason. We also use AI for heatmaps for a graphical representation of the data and trend analysis.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="545" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-820x545.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-402234" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-820x545.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-300x199.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-768x510.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-1536x1021.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-the-biggest-benefits-of-mulesoft-for-you-and-your-company">What are the biggest benefits of MuleSoft for you and your company?</h2>



There’s a lot to love about MuleSoft and my experience has been wonderful. It’s much easier to maintain than our previous system, which has saved the company around $1 million USD already.



It’s easy to use, which means I can easily upskill my current developers without having to hire people with specialist skills, and it’s allowed us to drastically shorten our delivery times.



Seven years ago we did two big deployments a year, but today we can deploy up to three releases a week, so we’re helping the business to be much more agile and to continuously adapt and evolve to meet changing customer and employee expectations. We’ve also had great support, not just from the MuleSoft team but from the wider community of real users across the world.

Blue big rig semi truck with grille guard trabsporting frozen cargo in refrigerator semi trailer with skirt spoiler running on the straight road

How MiX Telematics is keeping drivers safer with connected data

Operating in Africa for technology convergence providers is not for the faint hearted. There is a plethora of different cultures, country stability scenarios, citizen needs and environments ranging from rainforests to deserts. What works in Angola is not necessarily going to work in Algeria.



That said, Africa’s markets are some of the fastest growing in the world due to an under-served population and both urbanisation and <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2018/how-increased-internet-connectivity-will-drive-development-in-nigeria/">connectivity</a> are growing at a rapid rate. Africa has been cited as the last continent where explosive exponential growth is possible.



Since 2003, MiRO has evolved its product offering and skillsets from what is suitable for South African conditions and it now has a solution for any environment and is aggressively pursuing the African market.



There is a mix of global and local in MiRO’s offering that makes it a one-stop-shop for next generation convergence technologies. MiRO is now one of the leading distributors of broadband wireless, networking, SDWAN, WiFi, IoT, security, VoIP and IP video products – and its African footprint continues to grow.



While MiRO partners include global brands such as <a href="https://miro.co.za/brand/48-tenda">Tenda</a>, Cambium Networks, Grandstream, <a href="https://miro.co.za/brand/27-tp-link">TP-Link,</a> Radwin, Ring, Siklu, <a href="https://miro.co.za/brand/31-ubiquiti">Ubiquiti Networks,</a> Uniview, MikroTik, and SIAE, South Africa has also proven its ability to be able to create and manufacture world-class products and services.



MiRO’s local portfolio includes cutting edge solutions from BFR Digital, Clearline, Deltec, Forbatt, Acconet and Mean Well.&nbsp; This combination of local and international partnerships means that MiRO can empower Africa’s service providers, technology integrators and resellers to connect consumers, the public and <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/private-sector.asp">private sectors</a> through its best-of-breed, cutting-edge solutions.



Knowledge of each environment is vital. There are still cultural differences, for example, embedded in certain regions, such as the manner in which genders converse and interact. There needs to be sensitivity and understanding to pair MiRO’s expert knowledge wisely with local service providers and their clients.



MiRO’s online ecommerce store has no such limitations. Anyone can log in and access the wealth of information available 24/7. This makes it easy and convenient for partners to purchase online as and when they need to.



Using <a href="http://www.miro.co.za/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">miro.co.za</a> users can build their own quotes, view stock availability at all the branches and apply real-time order tracking to accurately plan inventory and installations. Supporting this, the MiRO technical and sales team is just a click away, wherever a user may be.



Knowledge is power and a core MiRO value is to put the power of knowledge in the hands of its clients. This is what led to establishing MiRO Academy as the vehicle through which the company could meet the need for top-notch, comprehensive IP convergence training.



MiRO Academy is an online learning platform where students, individual and business professionals can register for courses. The Academy means access to smart tutorials and hosts an ever-growing range of custom-developed training courses. There is zero-to-hero basic training on the range of networking technologies, as well as internationally certified training from multi-national vendors.



Free webinars on product and technology developments are also readily available on MiRO Academy so any of MiRO’s users can remain a step ahead through continuous learning, as and when it suits them. Thousands of IT professionals have already gained the knowledge to embrace and implement the spectrum of exciting new technologies via both MiRO’s instructor-led classroom training and the online Academy.



Unlock the convergence and communications wealth of Africa by taking advantage of the products and services MiRO offers. Visit <a href="https://miro.co.za/">miro.co.za</a>.

CNBCAfrica Miro image

Going boldly into Africa

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="258" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image-820x258.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398015" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image-820x258.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image-300x94.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image-768x241.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image-1536x483.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image.jpg 1910w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



by: Nick Treunicht, Customer Engineer, Digicloud Africa 



Let’s start with a seemingly audacious statement. Google is no longer competing with the best. Google is the best. Google has redefined collaboration with Google Workspace. Leading companies from around the world are tapping into Google Workspace to transform how they work – and it is delivering measurable results. This may be a bold opinion, but here are some facts to support it.



Today, Google is helping over 6 million businesses move towards a modern way of working, knowing that now more than ever, remote teams need tools that work even harder to make life a little easier. That’s why Google is introducing Google Workspace: everything you need to get work done, now, in one place. It brings together the communication and collaboration tools that users are already familiar with from G Suite – messaging, meetings, docs and more – in a thoughtfully connected way.



The way we work today is so far removed from how we worked at the beginning of this millennium. Attaching files to e-mails and running our own e-mail server infrastructure. Using our mailboxes to find files that were attached to e-mails. Trying to identify which version of a document is the right/current version.



Google first started revolutionising the technology industry with Gmail. If there is one thing that we have all come to know and love about Gmail, it is that it’s always up and running, never failing you when you need it. Since then, Google has built an entire productivity suite on top of Gmail with product releases and incremental changes to those products. Add to that Google’s ability to consistently push feature updates to its suite of cloud collaboration tools, which has made even competitors rethink their collaboration strategies.



Organisations that were using G Suite would have seen the consistent pace of feature updates over the last year or two, culminating in the launch of Google Workspace last month.A complete interface overhaul of Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Groups to name a few. A retirement of Google Hangouts, which has been replaced with Google Meet for video calling and Google Chat for everything else. The new version of Google Chat virtually makes competitive messaging platforms redundant, especially with the latest addition of Rooms in Chat. This new feature gives users one space to discuss and collaborate on projects, all without having to leave Gmail. Advanced Rooms in e-mail enables employees to assign tasks related to projects, share project files and folders and collaborate on Docs without having to switch between tabs.



It’s not just the rich features available to consumers, but also the deep integration of Google’s products into other third-party apps like Salesforce, Draw.io or Zoho, to name a few.



G Suite started off as a variety of separate productivity tools, whereas now, Google Workspace has morphed into one single workspace where you can get everything done. It made sense for Google to redefine the platform.



Add to that how work has changed in 2020. Version control for documents and collaboration from anywhere in the world has become paramount. We simply cannot keep doing the same things in the same ways and expect a digitised workforce. We cannot expect our colleagues to work smart without smart tools.



Google commissioned Forrester Consulting to quantify the business benefits and cost savings of moving to Google Workspace. This report (“The Total Economic Impact Of Google Workspace”, February 2020) revealed that Google Workspace delivers value in four key areas:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Revenue growth</li><li>Employee efficiency</li><li>Risk mitigation</li><li>IT cost savings</li></ul>



For users who want all their e-mails and documents backed up to the Google Cloud – all the time; with nothing but a browser and login details; with no need to install software for video conferencing (unlike where someone has to be the host, using their laptop hardware to try and host an online video call on other platforms); with just one single link with access to everything you need – Google Workspace is your answer.



Digicloud’s vote for 2021 is a vote for change and continual progress, it’s a vote for Google Workspace.



About Digicloud Africa



A proudly African business established to enable access to innovative cloud solutions through a robust network of resellers, Digicloud Africa (Pty) Ltd has been designed to support Google Cloud and has been appointed as the Reseller Enablement Partner of Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace products in Africa. We take great pride in our partnership with Google and strive to grow our footprint of specialised cloud resellers throughout Africa.&nbsp; Together, we aim to digitally transform businesses in Africa.

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Uncover the business value of Google Workspace

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="408" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-820x408.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398045" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-820x408.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-300x149.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-768x382.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-1536x765.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



Majestically reaching over 360 000 sq kilometres from the world-renowned Kalahari Desert to the arid plains of the Karoo, the Northern Cape, South Africa offers visitors a unique Southern Africa holiday experience.  With its open spaces, friendly people, rich history and unique cultural diversity, this land of the extreme, promises an extraordinary tourism destination.  Come and experience personally! Here are ten tantalising reasons to choose The Northern Cape as your Southern Africa leisure destination :











<h1 class="wp-block-heading"></h1>







<h2 class="wp-block-heading"> 1. Unique flavor and flair</h2>



The Northern Cape is a truly remarkable holiday destination. Explore the unique flavor of the province with its unique combination of ancient Africa with an overlay of confident democracy. Walk barefoot on the land of the ancestors, proud of its roots and enthusiastic about the future, creating, solving challenges and greeting the world with a wide, warm smile.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Unforgettable, enriching experiences</h2>



Do not miss the opportunity to view night skies ablaze with a million stars at Sutherland, or at&nbsp;!Xaus Lodge, situated in the <a>!Ae!Hai Kalahari World Heritage an</a> international Dark Sky Sanctuary, one of only 10 such sanctuaries world -wide. Go hunting for fossils in the Karoo or searching for San rock art deep in the caves of the Diamond Fields, or experiencing the world’s richest floral offering in Namakwa, camping deep in the bush surrounded by wildlife and the famed black-maned lion of the Green Kalahari, or kyaking down the mighty Orange River, the Northern Cape is more than an adventure, it’s an enriching life experience.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="546" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-820x546.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398047" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-820x546.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>







<h2 class="wp-block-heading"> 3. Value for luxury</h2>



The inherent warm hospitality of the people of the Northern Cape makes visitors feel like celebrities when they come to this vast province.  They can stay in the luxurious establishments, be pampered with spa treatment, dine on fabulous food and wine and afford all those once-in-a-lifetime experiences they’ve been longing to try. Not only will you have an excellent rate of exchange, but our facilities, activities and service equal outstanding value- so you can do more for your money. We call it value for luxury.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Special Occasions, Weddings and Honeymoons</h2>



The Northern Cape’s un-spoilt nature and breathtaking scenery with deserts, rivers, beaches, mountains and forests provide the perfect backdrop for the wedding of your wildest dreams. That is why the province is fast becoming one of the world’s most desirable and sought-after wedding and honeymoon destinations







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. Rich, cultural encounters</h2>



The distinct cultural groups that make up the Northern Cape are as rich as the country’s history. Meet the oldest human inhabitants of Africa, the ‡Khomani San Bushmen at Askham or the indigenous Setswana and Nama in Namakwa and the Diamond Fields. Visitors to the Northern Cape have ample chance to immerse themselves in these unique cultures through exploring cultural villages and arts and crafts markets, indulging in local cuisine at township restaurants, watching traditional dances and ceremonies, listening to real stories at interactive museums and talking to our people, who are willing to teach their customs and phrases to our guests. It’s the best way to experience the heartbeat of the province and to take a bit of the Northern Cape with them when you leave.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398046" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">6. Leading family adventure destination</h2>



With unexpected adventures around every corner, the Northern Cape is arguably the leading family adventure destination of Southern Africa. It’s all about pushing individual boundaries, personal growth and reconnecting with each other. For some, adventure is going on a walking trail, a hot-air balloon ride or tasting a foreign cuisine.  For others, adventure is captured in an adrenaline rush by traversing the rapids of the mighty Orange River in a kayak or leaping off a mountain or waterfall. Family activities range from game safaris, bird watching and leisure hikes to food tours, museum visits and archaeological discoveries. No matter the skill, inclination or interest, there is an adventure to thrill all. Combined with our beautiful weather and spectacular scenery, it’s a heady mix!







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">7. Natural beauty and wildlife</h2>



The Northern Cape is unquestionably South Africa’s most beautiful and natural province. For the active, it’s an ideal environment for exploration and adventure. Visitors are hard-pressed to choose between our two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, two Transfrontier Parks, the Kgalagadi and the çAi-çAis Richtersveld with its red and golden sand dunes or any one of the other four national parks, six provincial nature reserves and numerous private game reserves. Share the intimate bush knowledge of a Nama or ‡Khomani San Bushmen guide and tracker. The Northern Cape’s natural beauty is enhanced by it’s an enigmatic wildlife. From the small five to the big five, watching wild animals at dose range is something truly unforgettable. There are walking, horseback, 4&#215;4 routes, little five and many more safaris to incorporate in your trip.  The province is also home to two of the largest rivers in South Africa and three legendary deserts.  Each one of the 5 regions will capture the imaginations of those who dare to explore its rugged mountains, endless flatlands and undulating dunes.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398048" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Our annual BEYOND EXPEDITIONS Adventure, driven by ISUZU (SA), via five desert regions, including Namaqua West Coast, Richtersveld, Kgalagadi, Namib-Naukluft and Augrabies, in Namibia and South Africa, RSA</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">8. Great weather</h2>



The Northern Cape weather makes it a perfect year-round destination. The mild temperatures of the months July to October are perfect to visit the Northern Cape and escape the cold winters of the rest of the country and world. In summer the excellent weather invites visitors to enjoy the outdoors, play golf, indulge in massages under open skies, hike, walk, canoe, or have an open fire dinner or go on stargazing safaris.  Visitors can choose from a variety of outdoor adventure activities and seasonal experiences and take advantage of the excellent weather.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">9. A firm favorite for incentives</h2>



Due to our great weather, diverse cultures, adventure credentials, historic Freedom Struggle, lively urban rhythms, award-winning food and wine, luxury accommodation, natural wonders, spirit of Ubuntu, fascinating wildlife and welcoming nature, the Northern Cape has become a firm favorite for domestic and international incentive travelers. Build memories to last a lifetime with an unforgettable, life-enriching trip to the Northern Cape.  







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">10. The Floral Kingdom of the Namakwa</h2>



<a href="http://www.travelground.com/accommodation-in/namaqualand" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Namaqualand</a>&nbsp;is a stunning section in the Northern Cape, famous for its 6,000 plant species, 250 bird species, 132 reptile and amphibian species, and 78 mammal species. An astonishing 40% of the species found here are endemic – they do not exist anywhere else on earth.



Keep an eye out for the Namaqualand famed flowers from July to early October when the region is transformed into a kaleidoscope of color with the arrival of the flower season! Start in the capital of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.travelground.com/accommodation-in/springbok" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Springbok</a> and visit the Goegap Nature Reserve where you can explore the Hester Malan Wildflower Garden in a guided open truck tour. The 103,000 hectare Namaqua National Park is well worth a visit.&nbsp;



Akkerendam Nature Reserve in Calvinia is a proclaimed bird sanctuary with 10 floral species unique to the Hantamberg area with two lovely walking trails. Just outside Nieuwoudtville a must see is the Quiver Tree Forest and the Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve with 533 plant species and extravagant displays of wild flowers during the months of July to September.



For more information do visit <a href="http://www.experiencenortherncape.com">www.experiencenortherncape.com</a> or contact <a href="mailto:marketing@experiencenortherncape.com">marketing@experiencenortherncape.com</a>



Social media Platforms



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/NorthernCapeTourism">www.facebook.com/NorthernCapeTourism</a></li><li>Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/NorthernCapeSA">www.twitter.com/NorthernCapeSA</a></li><li>Instagram: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/northerncapetourism">www.instagram.com/northerncapetourism</a></li><li>YouTube: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/northerncapetourism">www.youtube.com/northerncapetourism</a></li><li>Hashtag #ExperienceNorthernCape</li></ul>

Augrabies Falls NP_Landscape_Viewpoint

Leisurely pursuits in the Northern Cape, South Africa

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In the step towards energy stability in South Africa – government is presented with a world of opportunities but, how they use them will determine the futures of thousands of South Africans.



In the shift from coal to gas – keeping the existing infrastructure is crucial to avoid unnecessary investments, says Maximilian Niederehe, Business and Solutions Development Manager at Siemens Energy.



There are two steps in the shift from coal to gas, explains Niederehe. “We need to look at the whole energy system a bit differently – and try to use the geographical advantages that some of the locations might have and, bring the power via storages to those points where it’s really required.”



The market exists and, so does the technology – the general question is, who is capable of operating the storage?



Typically, Africa is very good at extracting minerals and then exporting those minerals. Is there an opportunity on this continent for extraction, exploitation and, development, asks The Money Show’s Bruce Whitfield.



“This is something that African governments should be looking at,” says Bhavtik Vallabhjee, Head of Power, Utilities and Infrastructure at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking. “We are blessed with an abundance of resources and, as you quite rightly point out, this is actually beneficiated – manufactured products are actually produced elsewhere.”



Bearing in mind South Africa’s gradual shift away from being a mining economy – to address the country’s high unemployment rate, “we’ve got to look at other ways of actually stimulating our economy,” says Vallabhjee. He believes that government should look at providing incentives to entice foreign investors to set up local factories to create opportunities for South Africans.



On the political perspective – Ted Blom, Power and Mining Expert and Partner at Mining and Energy Advisors, believes that the Mining Charter is an impediment to the hundred years of growth in the mining industry. He says, “with this new mining charter demanding 51% BEE requirements, no organisation can put shareholders’ money into a project where… you’re supplying all the capital but you’re not part of the decision-making process.”



To take a major step toward energy stability in South Africa – Blom encourages the government to restore the playing field and, to give mining companies reasons to reinvest in the country.

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Coal to gas shift – a major step toward energy stability in SA

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The African continent is blessed with an abundance of natural wealth – her limitless potential casting an illuminating glow over her people.



So, as we begin to move to hydrogen future – away from this dark cloud of coal and into the glow of renewable energy, we have already seen a significantly reduction of carbon emissions and tremendous potential for the application of battery storage, says Maximilian Niederehe, Business and Solutions Development Manager at Siemens Energy.



“Some of the technologies are also capable of having a sector coupling potential,” says Niederehe, in reference to the potential of multi-usage of energy and its flexibility to allow users to decide how to make effective use of storage.



So, what does Africa’s energy future look like 20 years from now?



“The future of energy is really bright from a renewable energy perspective,” says Bhavtik Vallabhjee, Head of Power, Utilities and Infrastructure at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking.



“You will find that our landscape of energy will actually move away from coal – there will be gas supplementing variable renewable energy, wind, solar, energy storage will be a big dominant part and, the storage element will actually enable renewables to be dispatched as and when needed,” predicts Vallabhjee.



He believes that the considerable amount of capital invested in the evolution of battery technology and energy storage, coupled with tapping nature’s natural resources, “really makes for a green future going forward.”



Ted Blom, Power and Mining Expert and Partner at Mining and Energy Advisors says electricity will become commoditised.



“In 2040 and after that, the terrain will be very different and hopefully we’ll also be in a very prosperous position,” he affirms.

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The future of renewable energy is bright

South Africa is lagging far behind in the transition to renewable energy. Sadly, tackling Africa’s energy crisis starts with policymakers and evidence shows that they’re not moving fast enough to secure economic prosperity for the African people.



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“Energy is the key ingredient for economic development,” says Ted Blom, Power and Mining Expert and Partner at Mining and Energy Advisors. Having traversed the African continent for over 30 years, Blom believes that the African people now see energy as “the gatekeeper to a very prosperous future”



Considering this – he foresees a rise in competition in the medium term, which will inevitably lead to affordable energy prices, which will undoubtedly be welcomed by the African population.



The role of policymakers



“Unfortunately, you need things to go wrong first before they come right,” says Bhavtik Vallabhjee, Head of Power, Utilities and Infrastructure at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking.



In light of South Africa’s power struggle – Vallabhjee believes that the South African government’s Integrated Resource Plan is a step in the right direction. “There’s a very clear shift there where we are clearly moving away from over-reliance on coal to diversifying our energy mix.” 



The obsolescence argument: Where does that leave the future of energy provision on the continent?



Eskom’s coal-fired power generation fleet is old, inefficient and expensive to run. Couple that with the fact that its transmission grids were designed for centralised power generation – if Eskom fails to install a generation plants at load centres, it will continue to expose itself to significant power losses during long transmission distances.



To avoid obsolescence, Vallabhjee advises Eskom to consider the redesign of its centralised transmission grids.

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Energy is the gatekeeper to a prosperous future

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As a bank at the forefront of financing the country’s emergency power program, Absa has seen significant interest from international developers, with various forms of energy storage at the centre of that interest.



Relieved to see battery technology coming to the fore – Ted Blom, Power and Mining Expert and Partner at Mining and Energy Advisors says “the Eskom that we knew and relied on for over hundred years is no longer capable of satisfying the needs of both the South African economy, South African households as well as the industrialised countries as our neighbours.”



Wherever there is a problem, there is a solution and, a solution is an opportunity, says The Money Show’s Bruce Whitfield.



The electrification will proceed…



With its focus steadily on the energy sector, Siemens Energy has bore witness to some of the major trends shaping the electrification of the world.



“From a global perspective, we see the increase in demand in all areas of the world, so the electrification will proceed and, as we learn that all the emerging technologies are very energy-hungry… we see this as a major trend,” says Maximilian Niederehe, Business and Solutions Development Manager at Siemens Energy.



On the topic of regulation, he explains that there have been movements towards enabling energy storage as part of the landscape in Germany.



Asked whether the storage of renewables feasible – Niederehe says “what we see in Germany there is a lot of push, also looking at the decarbonisation of an existing fleet, making coal-fired power plants into storage power plants, which is possible using thermal energy storage.”

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The race to win the battle of energy storage is on

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By Craig Brewer, Managing Director: Investment Banking Division, Absa Corporate and Investment Banking



The mining and resources sectors have always attracted larger-than-life personalities and it is unfortunate that the 2021 Mining Indaba won’t be held face-to-face, especially when there is an underlying sense of anticipation around potential M&amp;A transactions.



There is a real energy in the resources sector at the moment and we could be at the start of a commodity super-cycle. There are a few key drivers: &nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Favourable commodity prices across most commodities have ignited the underlying operational cash flows and this has been reflected in upward share price movements. If the global vaccine program rollout picks up momentum, this will also build real confidence in the global recovery which will underpin the commodity cycle and be the catalyst for M&amp;A. &nbsp;</li><li>While there is a degree of skepticism about the COVID-19 data coming out of China, what is clear is that China is continuing to invest in its infrastructure program to generate its own economic recovery, and with supply constraints for key commodities &#8211; partly caused by COVID-19 &#8211; this demand is creating pricing pressure for base metals. </li><li>No one can doubt that COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way the global economy works. Supply chains were quickly exposed, production forecasts vaporized, and expected supply evaporated in days and at the same time demand cratered overnight and if there was demand, supply was either not available or inventory was at the incorrect point in the supply chain. This has resulted in the shortening of supply chains with a global shift back to localization throughout the supply chain, which is bolstering more balanced yet increased demand now spread across the globe. &nbsp;</li></ul>



With these underlying drivers, Absa is of the view that 2021 may well be a break out year for mining and commodity M&amp;A with clear trends in acquisition activity:



Consolidation:



While the resources sector is clearly enjoying a more positive outlook, certain mines and producers have not been able to weather the COVID-19 storm and with weak balance sheets and COVID-19 led productivity challenges, their long suffering shareholders may bail out on the sight of any reasonable cash offer.



We expect Private Equity players and cash-flush mining groups to be opportunistic buyers for the right assets.



Pent-up M&amp;A Demand:



In 2020, it was challenging to execute deals as many deal teams were unable to meet their counter parts, discrete meetings between principles couldn’t take place and due diligence teams couldn’t get to site. This was very different from the buzz and haggling of past deal making. It is very difficult to “look under the hood” of a West African gold deposit while sitting in Canada or South Africa.



Whilst remote working is now firmly entrenched, with the anticipated post vaccine decline in COVID-19 cases leading to the removal of travel restrictions, many of these deal teams will be looking to get out and put deals together. There are still commodity assets with reasonable multiples and with rising commodity prices, deals that may have been speculated about may now appear in the public domain.



It is clear that once travel restrictions are removed, the due diligence and technical teams will be unleashed and we will really start seeing deals consummated.



Gold is shining again:



While there are question marks about the long term viability of the South African gold mining assets with declining yields and miners have to go even deeper, there is no dispute that there is global interest in the physical gold price. The recent decline in US dollar strength and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, even after the US Presidential election, has all underpinned the importance of gold. This is a life boat for South African mines where all in costs require a bullish gold spot price.



Importantly, if China maintains its intention for the Renminbi to be the equivalent of the US dollar as a safe haven global currency, it needs to get access to gold assets as a core part of its reserve base. This will continue to drive demand for physical gold with a real impact on the longer term spot price.



If it’s not China (or Russia) building up their reserves and creating demand for physical gold, it is the global inflow into gold exchange traded funds which pushed the gold holdings of ETFs to a new record in 2020.



In 2018 / 2019, the gold sector saw some major mergers between the heavyweights including Newmont-Goldcorp and Barrick Randgold. While we may not see deals of this scale in 2021, with this positive gold backdrop, there are still plenty of deals to be done.



In South Africa, with the acquisition by Harmony Gold of the remaining South Africa asset of Anglo Gold, there are limited large South African gold M&amp;A opportunities, so you may find the likes of Sibanye-Stillwater, Harmony Gold and Goldfields looking at North America, West Africa or the newer gold frontiers such as Papua New Guinea or South America for diversification and quality yielding gold assets.



Elsewhere on the continent, we expect activity in West Africa to continue and there seems perineal interest in the region albeit this interest does not always convert into M&amp;A. Yields remain attractive though challenges remain on their position on the cost curve due to infrastructure limitations often compounded by regulatory uncertainty. However, in Absa’s view with its regional presence in Africa, there is sufficient confidence in the West African region to underpin and drive M&amp;A.



Overall, we wouldn’t be surprised to see aggressive M&amp;A this year from the likes of Kinross Gold, Sibanye-Stillwater and AngloGold Ashanti.



Fossil fuel exits:



It is quite clear that stakeholders – including financiers &#8211; are facing significant pressure to meet Environmental, Sustainability and Corporate Governance (ESG) standards.



Fossil fuel exits by the larger global miners be it as a result of bank, shareholder or activist pressure will continue. This theme is being played out across the globe and is evident in the exits from thermal coal by South32 and Anglo American particularly in South Africa.



Having said that, emerging markets still require an efficient and cheap energy source to assist in their industrialisation drives &#8211; the developed countries having gained significant benefit from coal in their industrialising &#8211; and despite pressure, Africa, India and China will still be reliant on coal for years to come.



While there are many players who will be exiting the fossil fuels space in favour of renewables and electric vehicle (“EV”) based commodities, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a bit of a “land grab” for cash flow positive assets in out-of-favour commodities.



Conclusion



M&amp;A discipline is critical this time around in this new commodity cycle. There is significant capital available and this leads to a degree of exuberance with commodity producers which historically has not always ended well. In the last cycle, many producers and mining houses materially overpaid for acquisitions which fell well shorty on the intended value creation that was sold to shareholders. Acquisitive groups will have to focus on clear strategies that can create scale and value to shareholders. As we have mentioned, ESG will also drive where this capital is allocated along with the growing demand for EV based commodities.



With ongoing face-to-face interactions being limited, the ability of deal-making teams will be tested. Dealmakers will play a far larger role in M&amp;A than we have previously seen as the ability to “broker” deals in this environment will be even more paramount. Those dealmakers with quality and direct networks will be the catalyst for M&amp;A deals and being a trusted advisor will make a real difference over execution based advisory teams.



At Absa Corporate and Investment Banking, we play the role of both dealmaker and financier &#8211; we can back our deals with balance sheet. Critically, we bring into this environment of potential M&amp;A, an experienced M&amp;A advisory mining team that has demonstrable experience in linking up counter parties and getting deals done. We truly understand the potential of a deal for our clients and assist them in realising their ambitions.

Image 2 – 1910 x600

M&A activity will be all the rage for resources in 2021

<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/102849_Shirley-Webber1_ORIGINAL-533x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-396770" width="309" height="464" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/102849_Shirley-Webber1_ORIGINAL-533x800.jpg 533w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/102849_Shirley-Webber1_ORIGINAL-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/102849_Shirley-Webber1_ORIGINAL-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/102849_Shirley-Webber1_ORIGINAL-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/102849_Shirley-Webber1_ORIGINAL-scaled.jpg 1365w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 309px) 100vw, 309px" /></figure></div>



By Shirley Webber, Head of Natural Resources and Energey, Absa Corporate and Investment Banking



<figure class="wp-block-audio"><audio controls src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Shirley-Webber-audio-part-1.mp3"></audio><figcaption>On energy exploration</figcaption></figure>



Issues such as climate change are no longer “soft” elements that can be tucked away in a sustainability report somewhere. Shareholders and other stakeholders are demanding that the banking sector adopts a responsible approach to funding of new projects in the mining and energy sector and this is driving a change in behaviour for all sector participants. &nbsp;



These are the key trends that finance and due diligence teams will be monitoring in 2021:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sustainable Energy Sources for Africa</h2>



The players in the Developed world are pushing strongly for the adoption of Renewable and Clean Energy sources but the reality for the African continent is that it is still very dependent on the likes of coal.



The energy transition could decrease Africa&#8217;s economic outlook, especially in areas where oil and coal have played such a substantial role in powering local economies. However, the energy transition also presents an opportunity for Africa because of the global acceleration towards alternative energy sources and as a continent we are rich in natural gas and energy minerals.&nbsp;Apart from natural gas, our continent is also rich in energy metals and minerals like copper, lithium, cobalt and graphite used in battery storage technology.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-audio"><audio controls src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Shirley-Webber-Audio-part-2.mp3"></audio><figcaption>Shirley on Africa&#8217;s Energy Transformation </figcaption></figure>



Funds that focus on Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) mandates are putting a lot of pressure on organisations that fund and operate fossil fuel projects, to exit these investments. The challenge is that many of these assets continue to generate attractive cash flows and remain a key part of the energy mix in the emerging world.



Power supply issues are topical in all countries in Africa and it is encouraging to note that there are a significant number of sizeable diverse renewable power projects being rolled out across the continent. While there has been a major focus on the fields of renewable and more-green energy solutions like gas-to-power, coal will continue to play an important role in our African energy mix in the near-term.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Paris Agreement</h2>



We expect climate change to fundamentally reshape the Resources industry.



The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the agreement aims to increase the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change, and at making finance flows consistent with a low GHG emissions and climate-resilient pathway. To reach these ambitious goals, appropriate mobilization and provision of financial resources, a new technology framework and enhanced capacity-building is to be put in place, thus supporting action by developing countries and the most vulnerable countries, in line with their own national objectives.



The EU formally adopted into law a series of measures that included&nbsp;a binding target for 32% of electricity production to come from renewables by 2030. Achieving this would require at least a 50% reduction in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, noting that GDP and population is ever increasing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The African continent is becoming more responsible</h2>



While Developed Markets have made big strides in terms of their commitment to sustainability goals, the African continent was often viewed as a “Frontier Market” where profit overshadowed purpose.



Financiers, operators and even governments are becoming more focused on meeting sustainability goals and one of the trends we highlighted from the 2020 Mining Indaba was that there are much tighter and healthier relationships between governments and investors.



Capital providers can guide customers and stakeholders in their requirements for funding by applying the Equator Principles which include applicable IFC Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability and the World Bank Group Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines for various sectors and for funding natural resources extraction transactions.



Where investors can see a stable political and regulatory environment, capital tends to follow.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What are banks doing for sustainability in the Resources sector?</h2>



The commitment of 130 banks from 49 countries to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Banking, which were adopted in September 2019, marks an important milestone for the banking industry and so for the Natural Resources &amp; Energy Industry as well.&nbsp;



The Principles for Responsible Banking aim to align business strategy to society’s goals within an acceptable risk framework for society, the environment and corporates. Effective governance, transparency and accountability will be of the utmost importance.



Ultimately, all participants in the resources sector will need to recognise that the sector can no longer be open to exploitation. As a leading financier of resource projects, we realize that natural resources in all its forms are diminishing and it’s imperative that we all work in a sustainable and responsible manner to extract only what is needed.&nbsp;



As a responsible lender committed to facilitating economic and sustainable growth, Absa acknowledges sustainability challenges such as social inequality, growing population, increasing unemployment, pressure on natural resources, as well as climate change. Given our key role as systemic bank in the majority of markets we operate in, we also understand how energy poverty and infrastructure deficits worsen these challenges.

Sustainable Energy: A fascinating dynamic for the resources sector

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-394212" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa.jpg 1365w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><figcaption>Murray Gardiner, MD, Bluecode Africa</figcaption></figure>



Population growth in Africa tends to outpace that of the rest of the world. In fact, by 2050 the population will likely have grown to 2 billion people, versus the rest of the world that expects flat or declining population numbers. This is particularly pertinent when looking at bank account ownership, with numbers still as high as 1.7 billion (31 percent of all adults globally), down from 2 billion unbanked adults in 2014, covering those without either a traditional bank account held by a financial institution or one provided by a mobile money provider.



In high-income Western market economies, adults are almost universally “banked” says a 2017<a href="https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/"> </a><a href="https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/">Global Findex</a> study conducted by the World Bank, versus the unbanked (many of whom are women) who reside predominantly in developing nations. To put the gender disparity into perspective, about two-thirds of the one-fifth of unbanked adults in Kenya, as just one national example, are women. The business world also shows a disparity, with the major corporations on our continent being formally banked across the board, versus the many small and micro businesses who tend to run cash-based operations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-informal-sector-inclusion">INFORMAL SECTOR INCLUSION</h2>



In times when unlocking economic growth on the continent is a priority to governments and private institutions alike, ways need to be found to include this essential informal shadow economy composed of cash-based businesses. These are significant, reveals the<a href="https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_627189/lang--en/index.htm#:~:text=In%20Africa%2C%2085.8%20per%20cent%20of%20employment%20is%20informal.&amp;text=The%20report%20shows%20that%2093,women%20(58.1%20per%20cent)."> </a><a href="https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_627189/lang--en/index.htm#:~:text=In%20Africa%2C%2085.8%20per%20cent%20of%20employment%20is%20informal.&amp;text=The%20report%20shows%20that%2093,women%20(58.1%20per%20cent).">ILO</a>, as they are thought to provide as much as 85.5 percent of employment in some countries.



Experience has taught us that financial institutions can only “see” clients through data and digital transparency from transaction accounts, mobile payments, and bill-paying. Unfortunately, informal sector businesses are generally not visible to the formal sector because they are mostly cash-based. This impedes not only the ability to tap into the informal sector’s value (due to a lack of digital records), but also the consequent ability for financial institutions to offer the affordable banking products needed for small and micro-business to thrive. The financial institutions that find a way to digitize informal sector payments will increase the size of their addressable market and will benefit from first mover advantage in the most rapidly growing market for financial services in the world.



“Research suggests that digitising payments can improve their efficiency by increasing the speed of payments, and reducing the cost of disbursing and receiving them,” say the authors of the World Bank’s<a href="https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/sites/globalfindex/files/2018-04/2017%20Findex%20full%20report_0.pdf"> </a><a href="https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/sites/globalfindex/files/2018-04/2017%20Findex%20full%20report_0.pdf">Global Findex Report</a>. In fact, shifting payments from cash into digital can have a range of unexpected benefits, beyond the obvious for the bank. “It can also enhance the security of payments and thus lower the incidence of associated crime. And disbursing payments through digital channels rather than cash has been shown to increase transparency and reduce corruption,” the report continues. It goes on to list an additional benefit of shifting to digital payment systems as resulting in substantial increases in saving behaviour among new account owners.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-following-the-leaders">FOLLOWING THE LEADERS</h2>



In Ghana, for example, a countrywide standard has been offered in QR code payments, which simplifies the payment process for merchants and customers alike. Just announced, the country’s EMVCo QR Standard for universal QR customer push payments allows every merchant to be identified and registered with a static QR code – which any consumer can then scan and send to their bank in order to directly pay the merchant. This system streamlines Africa’s usual mobile person-to-person (P2P) arrangement that is widely promoted by mobile network operators (MNO) such as Safaricom’s Mpesa.



The system depends on all banks in Ghana being connected to an Instant EFT switch that has a clearing and settlement agreement with the national payment gateway. This is part of a general trend to reduce friction for digital payments and afford merchants the opportunity to accept payment alternatives, connected directly to the bank account or any other consumer funding source, thereby avoiding cards and the costly infrastructure associated with card payments. Many other nations, which are investing in the digital payments arena, can be expected to follow suit.



African markets differ significantly from those of offshore nations and are also wary of becoming dependent on the likes of Visa and MasterCard. While these successful American card-payment institutions are globally recognised and adopted in developed nations – along with their numerous fintech partners and conversion to virtual cards – African nations require a higher level of autonomy, along with tailored solutions with which their own markets, merchants and consumers can feel secure.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-mobile-we-trust">IN MOBILE WE TRUST</h2>



The challenge for the private sector and governments in African countries is to show potential customers that the available cash-based alternatives, in which they have been investing, are “safer, more affordable and more transparent”, reveals World Bank research. If these payments can take place via a mobile phone, without needing a bank card, that seems first prize. In Kenya, for example, less than 50 percent of account owners have a debit card and, among those who do, only about one-third make use of it for direct purchases.



In fact, mobile remains the leading payment technology on the continent, with as many as 19 percent of adults (30 percent of account owners) making at least one financial transaction over a 12-month period – using a mobile money account, their mobile phone, or the internet. Indeed, more than 10% of all adults in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Zambia and Uganda have reported receiving agricultural payments into an account (in most cases a mobile money account) over the past 12 months.



But cash is still king, with the typical economically active African adult making, on average, 1 500 payments each year – almost all of which are small and relate to transport, food, and other everyday necessities. However, this reliance on cash can be overturned by an interoperable universal payment platform, with feature-rich interactions, valuable merchant support and sought-after financial services.



It is time to pivot and bring digital transparency to the informal sector. Once trust is gained, such digital offerings will sweep the dependency on cash aside as we march steadily into Africa’s Fourth Industrial Revolution.







About Bluecode:



Bluecode is a mobile payment solution that combines cashless payments via smartphones with value-added services and enables payments with merchant and banking apps. Founded in Europe, Bluecode has now expanded into Africa. Bluecode Africa is taking mobile payments into markets where its value as a technology payment service and scheme can make a significant difference for retailers, SMMEs and in the everyday lives of consumers. Bluecode Africa is focused on driving economic growth in the productive economy by unlocking opportunity and business potential with digital transparency. For more information:<a href="http://www.bluecodeafrica.com"> </a><a href="http://www.bluecodeafrica.com">www.bluecodeafrica.com</a>&nbsp;

Native Article 1 Hearder Bluecode (1)

Op-ed: How Africa’s unbanked stand to score from digital advancement

Modern banking technologies from Absa improve the client experience



Absa is investing in modern banking technologies that enable real-time payments to help their clients deliver a better customer experience.



Real-time transactions used to be seen as just a way to make an urgent payment, now their convenience and speed are becoming a source of innovation and competitive advantage.



The real-time transactions world is one where you select a product or service to buy and pay for the item there and then. It’s also a world where you get paid immediately — the cash really is in the bank. There is no overnight processing of payments or long authorisation waiting times. It doesn’t get any faster or more convenient for customers, and that’s a big win for businesses.



“Globally, real time, or instant payments, are growing faster than any other payment type. This growth is likely to accelerate further with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aciworldwide.com/-/media/files/collateral/trends/keeping-pace-with-innovation-in-real-time-payments.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">industry research</a>&nbsp;forecasting annual growth rates of 40% per year for real-time transactions,” says Richard Stocken, head of cash management product at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB).



“Real-time transactions delivered at the point of customer contact can improve the experience,” says John Molanda, head of product innovation at Absa transactional banking’s cash management team.



Genuine real-time transactions possible with API



While the trend to instant payments isn’t a completely new one, Molanda says the real difference now is how real time payments are happening, including embedding instant payments into the clients’ business systems.



He says that in the past, integration with business systems was only possible through file-based systems that were more suited to end-of-day processing. Which meant customers and business owners had to wait until the end of the day to collate payments into one file and process the transactions.



“Instant transactions are now possible, thanks to API.”



API is the acronym for application programming interface, where programmes and applications talk to each other, all the time. API is revolutionising cash management, making real-time transactions possible, which creates a better customer experience and saves businesses time while helping with cash flow management.



Molanda says two examples of industries where customers benefit from instant payments are insurance and gaming.



“There is a need in the insurance industry, especially funeral policies, to pay a claim — or at least part of it, instantly. This eases some of the customer’s distress and creates a very positive experience that can’t be replicated with traditional transactional banking processes.”



He says another example is in the gaming industry. “Winnings paid immediately reinforce the positive experience.”



Speed builds trust



Stocken says that when real-time payments are combined with mobile technology, the customer experience can be even better.



This makes the payment seem instant, something not possible when you have to log on to a banking system, load beneficiary details and make the payment and send a proof of payment, Molanda says.



Stocken says Absa is seeing some interesting innovations, where payments are embedded directly into mobile apps using API.



“We have a client whose more than 1,000 agents are using mobile applications that have the capacity to authorise a debit order mandate in real time. When you do this with the customer in front of you, you build trust while improving the business’s ability to collect payments.”



Costs coming down



Stocken acknowledges that high costs are an issue in real-time payment technology, but he expects them to come down in future.



“There is an industry initiative to introduce a low-cost instant payment capability as an alternative to low-value physical cash transactions, the initiative is called ‘Rapid Payments’. This project is in the early stages but has the potential to transform how businesses interact with their customers.”&nbsp;



Absa’s CIB cash management team is ready to work with clients to help them use modern banking technologies in their businesses so they can create great customer experiences. Visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://cib.absa.africa/corporate-banking/cash-management/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Absa CIB website</a>&nbsp;for more information.



Get business done. To assist you with your cash management solutions, get in touch with&nbsp;<a href="mailto:John.Molanda@absa.africa" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">John Molanda</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="mailto:Richard.Stocken@absa.africa" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Richard Stocken</a>.



This article was paid for by Absa CIB.

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Brandcom

The face of sales in South Africa is changing. Find out how to thrive in the new normal

Customer service in South Africa: how businesses are embracing agility to deliver memorable experiences

South Africa’s top marketing trends – and how to make them work for you

Measuring the business of marketing

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How MiX Telematics is keeping drivers safer with connected data

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Coal to gas shift – a major step toward energy stability in SA

The future of renewable energy is bright

Energy is the gatekeeper to a prosperous future

The race to win the battle of energy storage is on

M&A activity will be all the rage for resources in 2021

Sustainable Energy: A fascinating dynamic for the resources sector

Op-ed: How Africa’s unbanked stand to score from digital advancement

Absa creates a better client experience and saves businesses time with API integration

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