GBS WORLD NEWS | WEEK 2 | MAY 2024
In Nairobi, Kenya, the Elevate Africa Conference, themed “The Next Chapter of Innovation,” took place this weekend (10–12 May). A series of high-profile talks were delivered by global keynote speakers on the growing BPO sector in Kenya. Global analysts from Everest Group, Genesis GBS, and Rothschild & Co delivered in-depth discussions on the global, African and Kenyan trends, investments, BPO buyer sentiment, and the industry’s potential impact on the country’s economy. The event was officially opened by President William Ruto of Kenya who noted that government will scale up investments to create 1 million jobs for BPO and digital workers in the next five years.
Coinciding with the Elevate Africa Conference, CCI Global has launched a US$50 million call center in Tatu City, Kenya creating over 5,000 jobs. The facility positions itself as Kenya’s largest call center, using 96% renewable energy and has received environmental awards. CCI plans to double its workforce to 10,000 employees and expand with another new building. This development reflects only a portion of CCI Global’s US$150 million investment in Kenya since 2016.
International BPO company Foundever has opened a new operation in Cape Town, promising to create 3,500 jobs by 2026. This marks the second international BPO firm to establish a presence in Cape Town within two months. The city’s special purpose vehicle for skills development and BPO promotion, CapeBPO, helped secure Foundever’s investment and is providing trainees for the new workforce. The BPO sector is becoming a significant catalyst for job creation, with South Africa aiming to create 500,000 cumulative new jobs in the industry by 2030.
Over in Egypt, information systems company Xceed has partnered with Egypt’s Communications Ministry to develop an AI-powered quality assurance automation application for call centers. Minister Amr Talaat emphasized the project’s potential to enhance call center operations and boost Egypt’s position as a leader in the outsourcing industry. The AI tool will analyze customer service calls, identify potential issues, and allow supervisors to address problems in real time, improving overall customer experience.
London-based multinational electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company, Currys, has partnered with Accenture and Microsoft. The partnership aims to enable Curry plc to modernize its core cloud technology infrastructure and accelerate the adoption of AI technologies. The collaboration will enhance the customer shopping experience, improve colleague experience, and drive future growth. The transition will also help Currys achieve net zero emissions by 2040 by creating a more energy-efficient infrastructure through the migration of its data centers to Azure.
In the United States, Kansas-based telecommunications company Sprint Corp has cut at least 2,500 jobs across six customer care centers as part of its plan to reduce costs by US$2.5 billion. The job cuts include positions in customer service and 574 roles at the headquarters. The layoffs align with a trend toward using digital customer care and online services.
