Africa is hailed as a major growth market
for global businesses, but as global companies expand there, they are
having a tough time finding leaders to run their operations.
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| Nurturing Talent |
That
is the conclusion of a new report on executive talent by Russell
Reynolds Associates, which surveyed 230 senior leaders and recruiters in
Africa. Recruiters say companies are eager to recruit good hires in the
region, but find that candidates with traditional management skills —
such as the ability to drive change or build teams — are in short
supply.
The report focused on the talent markets
of Kenya and Nigeria, whose economies are growing rapidly, and SA, the
continent’s most developed economy, yet the issues are common to many
nations in sub-Saharan Africa, the authors note.
The issues will
become more acute as more businesses expand in Africa, where gross
domestic product growth is projected to strengthen to 4.5% this year and
5% next year, according to the African Economic Outlook 2015 report.
Driving
the talent shortage is Africa’s dearth of high-quality business
schools, according to Simon Kingston, who leads the global development
practice at Russell Reynolds. In countries such as Kenya and Nigeria,
many with management aspirations tend to leave for school or work
abroad, and persuading them to return home for their career is a
challenge, recruiters said.
