Africa's Got Talent, in conversation with Aisha Jallow

Andrew Kris has a conversation with Aisha Jallow, who has the passion for and expertise in finding and attracting executives based in Africa for leadership roles in international companies. Aisha uses her history of substantial success with clients such as Heineken and Tetra Pak to explain why sourcing professionals from Africa is so vital and advantageous.

Transcript

Andrew Kris: 0:06

Welcome to Borderless Executive Live. We're going to be talking about Africa. It's time we recognized all of the talent in Africa, which is why this particular piece is called Africa's Got Talent. And to talk about this with us, we have Aisha Jallow, who a Borderless consultant. Having been brought up and lived in Sierra Leone, also in Gambia and Guinea, she came to the UK about 20 or so years ago and studied at LSE, and subsequently worked for a while at McKinsey prior to joining Borderless. Aisha, welcome.

Aisha Jallow: 0:42

It is nice to be here, and especially to talk about Africa, which I'm so passionate about.

Andrew Kris: 0:47

Indeed, I recognized that in our many conversations, but why the focus on Africa, Aisha?

Aisha Jallow: 0:53

Well, Africa, as you know, is a dynamic and booming continent that international organizations cannot afford to ignore. The size of the opportunity and the region that Africa represents is huge. The region has a population of 1.2 billion people. The population is almost as large as India. It has a fast growing market, both in terms of population and economic growth. Furthermore, the population is becoming more and more educated, with 50% of the population under the age of 25. So in Africa, there is a young, agile, eager workforce.

Andrew Kris: 1:27

Absolutely right, and with 1.2 billion people, there's some tremendous talent there. So, why do you think international organizations have failed so far to attract and retain the right people?

Aisha Jallow: 1:38

Good question. Historically, international organizations operating in Africa have reported challenges in attracting and retaining talented people for several reasons, including the lack of comprehensive education. Companies have argued in the past that Africa's underperformance in education has been a major factor. In addition, in this situation, we have the "brain drain." More than 10% of Africa's university educated professionals today live and work in other countries. So, we need them to come back and return with their skills to the continent. And I spend much of my time at Borderless talking to the diaspora. For instance, a recent survey found that 31% of companies in South Africa today say they have challenges filling jobs, despite a national unemployment rate exceeding 25%. In addition, poor practices from international organizations to deliberately attract and retain talented people has also played a major role in this.

Andrew Kris: 2:39

I can understand the situation in South Africa having lived and worked there myself. It is a really serious issue. You mentioned poor practices by international organizations. I assume you're talking about large corporates, as well as NGOs and others. I would assume they're looking for talented people, especially in Sub Saharan Africa, of course, but what do you mean by that, actually?

Aisha Jallow: 3:02

Throughout the years, and through working with Borderless as well, our observation on poor practices in Africa stems from both historical and preconceived recruiting processes that companies have adopted over several years. For the sake of this discussion, let's focus on five core reasons. Point one, the lack of strategic intent to hire local leadership talent, although we see some companies that are trying to improve.

Andrew Kris: 3:29

And there's a limit to the number of expatriates you want to bring in, of course.

Aisha Jallow: 3:34

Exactly, because it's so expensive. And that brings me to my next point. In the past, companies have actually relied a lot on excessive expatriate hires to drive local leadership functions, thus creating a self sustaining system that is also beginning to change, especially given the cost of employing expatriates. A third point I want to make is how companies are adopting a reactive approach, rather than proactive evaluation of their local talent pool. This has played a major factor in these companies' hesitancy to search for talent with transferable skills, as opposed to the perfect match for a specific role.

Andrew Kris: 4:15

You say that Aisha, but there has been more of a search for talent with transferable skills, but there aren't that many people who have those skills, and it's extremely difficult to find the ones that do.

Aisha Jallow: 4:27

Yeah, to find them is one thing, but also to retain them once you find these talented people. They are in demand in the market. Every company wants them regardless of the industry they're in.

Andrew Kris: 4:43

You also were saying in our earlier conversations that culture and religion gets in the way too, sometimes.

Aisha Jallow: 4:50

That's especially the case for North Africa, where some of the companies we work with at Borderless are struggling to attract talent because of the values and the religious beliefs.

Andrew Kris: 5:00

One of the things all of us at Borderless have observed about you, Aisha, is the passion that you have for bringing great people into Africa, but also to our clients who have business there, and even bringing them to other locations around the world. What would you advise organizations to do differently in this case?

Aisha Jallow: 5:18

That's a great question. Let me start by telling you what a candidate recently told me. He said, when looking for talented people in Africa, look for how they envision themselves growing, their ambition, and their desire to progress, rather than looking for perfection. Of course, this applies everywhere, but it's especially important for Africa. So in the spirit of progress, not perfection, I advise companies to embed the following steps in their recruitment strategy across the region. One point is to invest in building your local pipeline in your country of operation. A good place to start is to develop leaders in-house and encourage greater mobility amongst staff covering different functions. Secondly, try and develop relationships with universities, and up and coming young talent. Create internship programs, for instance, and where you can, volunteer to speak at events and in educational institutions. Make it a point to position your brand and show the community you're serious about cultivating roles.

Andrew Kris: 6:18

Get out there and talk to people about your opportunities.

Aisha Jallow: 6:21

Exactly. Show your face, be present. And also, I think more and more younger people in Africa today are driven by values. So lead by example, by driving diversity and sustainability agendas. That's very important for young people today in Africa.

Andrew Kris: 6:37

Indeed, we're seeing all over the world.

Aisha Jallow: 6:39

Exactly. And people in Africa have more exposure to the rest of the world now through the advancement of technology.

Andrew Kris: 6:47

You also mentioned branding the organization to to reflect all of this?

Aisha Jallow: 6:51

Yes, it's important to develop a compelling and differentiated brand for your organization. It should set you apart from other organizations and show young professionals why they should work for you. Keep them abreast of your company's activities and events in their countries through various communication channels. Also, create an employee referral program for the country. You'll be amazed how many people you can attract through that angle.

Andrew Kris: 7:20

So if you would just leave a couple of takeaways for our clients and others who are interested in developing their businesses in Africa, what advice would you give them?

Aisha Jallow: 7:57

If you want to be ahead of the curve, international companies should embrace and facilitate the following things. Companies should recognize that Sub Saharan Africa has an enormous pool of educated, young, and able talent that will sustain your business for the future. Organizations must take a strategic view in developing this educated, entrapreneurial, and eager-to-learn talent in Africa. Look at employee development as a part of your value chain within your African business. Create a robust internal talent development strategy to grow your talent from within. For example, bring them to your headquarters for a short term assignment prior to assigning individuals into key roles in the region.

Andrew Kris: 8:42

Absolutely. We've seen that work in the development of markets in Central and Eastern Europe over the years, as well.

Aisha Jallow: 8:53

Also, going back to diversity, it's very important to harness the power of inclusion. African countries, such as Nigeria, have a vastly unexploited pool of highly educated women. Take the opportunity to boost women's participation and advancement at work, expand your talent pool, and introduce more women at the leadership level to broaden your company's perspective.

Andrew Kris: 9:14

You're making the point that this has an overall and overriding potential, as well, Aisha?

Aisha Jallow: 9:20

Indeed, yes. Here you have an opportunity to do good for the world, as well as for your own reputation as a company.

Andrew Kris: 9:35

That's very well. I think this is a factor that's not especially recognized. So I think you're right to push this message about talent in Africa. I hope that you and I will continue to help companies find that talent and develop their business and reputation in Africa. Thank you so much for joining today.