Making Africa Technology Hub

Raheem Akingbolu writes on how Cavista Holdings is living up to its promise to groom more software engineers in Africa and impact the continent’s economy with technology

The giant strides being made by Cavista Technologies and its parent company, Axxess, in the far away United States of America, which are now being extended to Africa, Nigeria and Bostwana to be precise, are set to position technology as a business enabler on the continent.

It is therefore not surprising when African leaders and technology experts last week, in faraway Bostwana agreed that the future of the continent lies in technology.

The leaders, including the President of Bostwana, Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi, the immediate past Chairman of Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi and Founder/CEO, Axxess and Chairman Cavista Holdings, Mr. John Olajide, who converged on  the Central Business District, Gaborone for the inauguration of the Cavista technologies’ office also advised leaders across Africa to re-intensify their efforts at grooming more technological savvy youths that would key into the global demand for software and technical services.

Cavista Technology is a global leader in software engineering and development, with a dynamic team of engineers, software developers, and industry experts who provide innovative software and client success solutions, powered by world-class technology. 

Giving a keynote address at the event, President Masisi said the occasion saw the realisation of a vision borne out of the belief in the potential of Botswana as a key player in the global business landscape.

Masisi revealed that the process of luring the firm, which is renowned for innovation and excellence, started when he met Mr John Olajide, Cavista Holdings founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), in July 2022 at the US-Africa Business Summit in Morocco. 

“During that meeting, I extended an invitation to Mr Olajide to consider Botswana as the next home for his rapidly growing global company, Cavista Holdings. I knew then, as I do now, that Botswana is a fertile ground for growth, with an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. 

Our robust infrastructure, political stability, and a government that is deeply committed to economic transformation through innovation and technology make us an ideal investment destination,” Masisi said. 

This set the tone for Olajide’s team to start working with the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) and other various stakeholders domestically, leading to the investment of Cavista Holdings, which currently has a footprint in the United States, Nigeria, the Philippines and India. 

The Chairman of Cavista Holdings, which is the parent company of Cavista Technologies, John Olajide, noted, “We are in Botswana for the long haul,” adding, “Botswana’s youth represent a tremendous opportunity for us to create jobs, harnessing their technical and engineering skills to drive innovation and create value for businesses. Together, we will transform lives.”

This is as he disclosed that by the end of next year, Cavista plans to employ 100 highly skilled professionals in Botswana, collaborating with teams across the company’s global operations. ‘‘In the long term, the goal is to expand to 500 IT jobs in the country,” he said.

Olajide highlighted his commitment to Botswana, which grew out of two years of conversations with President Masisi. According to him, “Our journey here is a testament to the power of relationships built on trust.

On his part, President Masisi warmly welcomed Cavista’s entry into Botswana, stressing its significance for the nation’s growth. “The official opening of Cavista in Botswana is not just the beginning of a new chapter for this esteemed company, but also for our own country,” he said.

Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, who was a special guest of honour at the event, urged Government at the different levels in Africa to take deliberate action towards opening up the continent’s youth population to skill acquisition to boost the economy.

The former governor said: “In the midst of the current economic challenge, governments should endeavour to look beyond mere creation of jobs and focus on creation of skills. For instance, investment in technology that will roll out hundreds and thousands of software engineers like the Cavista operations in Nigeria, US, India and now Bostwana will help Nigeria and other parts of Africa to cater for multitude of young ones in our various communities. For instance, software engineers from Cavista office in Ilupeju, Lagos can service clients from different parts of the world and earn good money. In summary, the little job being provided by the government cannot fill the gap of unemployment in Nigeria but skills.”

In particular, the former governor referenced that the flourishing youth population in Nigeria would be a quarter of the global youth population by 2050 and urged Federal and state governments to focus more on creating an enabling environment for businesses to solve the problem of unemployment.

In an interview with THISDAY at the sideline of the inauguration, Fayemi commended the Tinubu administration for the effort being made to boost infrastructure and enhancement of broadband connectivity, pointing out that such a step would open up the market to investors in the tech space. 

The former governor said, “In the midst of the current economic challenge, governments should endeavour to look beyond mere creation of jobs and focus on creation of skills. For instance, investment in technology that will roll out hundreds and thousands of software engineers like the Cavista operations in Nigeria, US, India and now Bostwana will help Nigeria and other parts of Africa to cater for multitude of young ones in our various communities. For instance, software engineers in Lagos can be servicing clients from different parts of the world and earning good money. In summary, the little job being provided by government cannot fill the gap of unemployment in Nigeria but skills,” 

Fayemi urged the government to provide an enabling environment for the private sector as well as leveraging technology as the knowledge economy of the future. 

“Technology is the future and the future is here. To bridge the gap, the government must invest in power energy sufficiency, stable electricity, broadband collectivity and of course security. Finally, all those processes that government regulatory authority imposed in the ways of businesses can be synergized, reduced from paper operation and reduce the time required to accelerate business opportunities,”

Earlier, President Masisi had established the fact that the decision by Cavista Holdings to expand its global footprint to Botswana was a bold vote of confidence in Bostwana’s stability, business environment, and the country’s potential to grow into a leading technology hub in Africa. Cavista’s operations here will not only mirror the successes they have achieved in other countries, but they will also be tailored to address the unique needs and aspirations of the people of Botswana,” the President said.