Tag: transformation

Despite global economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, African CEOs are optimistic about their own organisations’ growth prospects. This is according to the our 2025 Africa CEO Outlook Survey, which captures the perspectives of 130 CEOs across Southern, East and West Africa.

South Africa’s financial institutions are rewriting the rules of banking technology. The cloud has become a new balance sheet of innovation. For decades, the country’s banking sector has punched above its weight. For example, it provided electronic banking long before many global peers.

South Africa's construction industry is in a tough spot. Output shrank by 4.2% in 2024, capping a decade-long slide that began around 2009, with the sector's GDP contribution down over 30% since then. Like the broader economy, it is battling low growth and inflation. But as one of the nation's top carbon emitters, buildings and construction alone risk doubling emissions by 2050 without action.

The commercial printing industry is undergoing a profound transformation, with inkjet technology at the forefront of this evolution. Inkjet continues to solidify its role in 2025 as a pivotal driver of innovation, enhancing print quality, operational efficiency, and sustainability while creating new opportunities for businesses to excel. Clearly, inkjet drives innovation across multiple sectors.

If you spend your days inside Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) transactions like I do, you will know the story by heart. Good businesses try to do the right thing by becoming sound empowerment partners. Then the deal stalls on one thing: money that is either too expensive, too risky or simply unavailable.

South Africa’s financial markets are entering a new era. The Johannesburg Interbank Average Rate (JIBAR), long the anchor of domestic funding and lending, will soon be replaced by the South African Rand Overnight Index Average (ZARONIA). This transition is reshaping how interest rates are priced.

On 6 August 2025, the cabinet approved the National Water Amendment Act to be tabled at Parliament. This will mark the third amendment to the National Water Act, 1998. The first amendment was in 1999, and the second in 2014. Across South Africa, the government is keenly aware of the issues facing the water sector and is taking decisive action.

South Africa’s Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA) came into effect on 1 September 2025. This followed the Gauteng High Court’s dismissal of an urgent application to halt its implementation. The government aims to enforce sectoral targets on race and gender representation to accelerate transformation. However, beneath the policy rhetoric lies a complex reality that many employers, particularly in manufacturing, will struggle to manage.

In South Africa, we sit with a paradox that should concern every business leader. On one hand, unemployment remains stubbornly high, particularly among young people. On the other hand, organisations are grappling with a deepening skills crisis.

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) used to be the rock star of the boardroom. The role determined how a company presented itself to the market. It also carried the authority of being the customer’s voice in an executive team dominated by finance and operations. The death of the CMO is now a growing concern.