Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 90 | Page 11

NEWS

Report , a collaboration between pan- African publication African Banker and Backbase , creators of The Engagement Banking Platform , offers in-depth insight into the digital revolution being undertaken by the banking sector across the continent .

A growing African population , forecast to be 2.49 billion by 2050 , coupled with spectacular increases in the number of devices such as smartphones and tablets , mobile phones now account for 75 % of web traffic in Africa , is the perfect recipe for an explosion in digital banking . Benefits include speed , convenience , and enhanced user data , meaning that banks can readily tailor solutions for their clients . In 2021 , 55 % of the African population owned a bank or mobile money account , compared to 23 % in 2011 .

The 2024 edition of The African Banking Digital Transformation Report revealed that

76 % of banks rank digital transformation as either their top priority or among the top three , while the remaining 24 % also view it as important . With almost half of the continent unable to access any form of bank account , including approximately 60 % of women , this result reflects the opportunity for banks to grow their customer base through an inclusive digital offering .

This year , cloud computing was the most cited technology being incorporated into digitisation strategies . This overtakes Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity and Resilience as the primary driver since our 2023 survey . The result can be explained through the growing sophistication of AI solutions , which sees it spill over into other technology areas including Cybersecurity .

The 2024 edition of the report draws on comprehensive survey data from more than 150 banks spanning 35 countries , providing

Heidi Custers , Digital Transformation Director , Backbase

an in-depth analysis of current digital banking trends , key innovations , and digital transformation progress .

Backbase is a private fintech company , founded in 2003 in Amsterdam where it has its global HQ .

With more than 300 million users at the end of 2023 and 91 % of Fortune 100 companies adopting it , Microsoft Teams is one of the most widely used meeting applications in the world . Beyond providing meeting and call features , Microsoft Teams is also deeply integrated with Microsoft 365 .

This enables real-time collaboration directly within the Microsoft Teams interface for users to create , share , and edit Word documents , Excel spreadsheets , and PowerPoint presentations without leaving the application .

The Planner application in Microsoft Teams brings together all the company ’ s tasks and plans across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem in a single convenient location . It helps businesses manage tasks more efficiently for individual plans and team initiatives including grid view , dependencies , scheduling , and a timeline , Gantt view .

For companies struggling with tasking and feedback , the integration between Teams ,

Kirk Schafer

Planner , and Loop components enables them to easily assign tasks to employees .

For those businesses operating in retail , healthcare , or on factory floors that require scheduling , Microsoft Teams offers a feature called Shifts . This is a schedule management tool that helps managers create , update , and manage shift schedules . Employees can also use it to clock in and out , request shift swaps , or offer up shifts they cannot work .

“ Microsoft Teams is the cornerstone for building a modern digital workplace ,” says Kirk Schafer , Chief Resourcing Officer at DAC Systems .

“ Our role as a trusted Microsoft partner with extensive experience across industry sectors is to ensure that companies leverage these capabilities to the fullest , transforming their communication landscape and fostering a culture of collaboration and efficiency .”

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