Tech isn’t enough, organisations must upskill to compete – Ehimuan-Chiazor, Director, Google West Africa

Google says improved digital skills are critical for businesses aiming to thrive in current, intensely competitive marketplace. Knowledge of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and programming, are key to unlock new segments in a constantly shifting digital economy, according to the global search-engine firm and business services provider.

Speaking on the sideline of a forum organised by the Lagos Business School, in Ibeju-Lekki, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, Director, Google West Africa, said as the technological revolution deepens, leaders must push their organisations to acquire new skills to tap new capabilities and maximise the opportunities provided by the new digital economy in the areas of financing, manufacturing, agriculture, customer relationship, sales, and information management.

She buttressed, “This is the digital age and it is very clear that technology is the future because it permits every sector. Technology is a critical asset within agriculture, finance, healthcare, construction manufacturing, and other sectors, so it is important that we are prepared,”

However, considering the rate at which businesses adopt new technology without building requite knowledge, Mrs. Ehimuan-Chiazor, raised alarm.

She explained, “I think there is a lot more adoption of technology but there is room for doing more things because the systems and tools are getting more sophisticated and more can be done.”

Technology is transforming the way business is generated, run, and sustained.

Talking about advancement in tech, and how businesses and society may need to adapt to new realities, Mckinsey, a global consulting firm sees a shift towards external intelligence.

The firm believes “intelligence is no longer housed internally in the brains of human workers but has moved outward into the virtual economy, into the conversation among intelligent algorithms. It has become external.”

The firm added, “The physical economy demands or queries; the virtual economy checks and converses and computes externally and then reports back to the physical economy—which then responds appropriately. The virtual economy is not just an Internet of Things, it is a source of intelligent action—intelligence external to human workers”.