New research hub for Africa

Informed by work carried out by Accenture’s many specialist units across the continent in technology, digital, strategy, consulting and operations, the research hub is conceived with the intention of helping business “rotate to the new” by leveraging Accenture’s breakthrough thought leadership to inform strategic thinking and decision making. 

Accenture’s thought leadership is demonstrated by its latest thinking: in the midst of the escalating trade war that is likely to reduce the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 0.4% and South Africa’s GDP by 0.1% in 2019 – Accenture data shows that by injecting R319 Billion into the GDP, South Africa could aid its struggling economy, generate much needed jobs and maintain growth.

That’s equal to a 6% additional growth, above the current 1.3% GDP growth. The injection of the projected capital will be possible by achieving gender parity in the workplace alone through upskilling more women, creating a culture of equality, accelerating and leading the change.

Unlocking value

As markets evolve and competition turns intense, organisations simply focussed on their core business risk losing opportunities to unlock value trapped within their organisations, preventing new businesses to emerge. The key to unlock the trapped value lies in “innovation” and companies that can leverage innovation as a source of disruption can pivot a company’s entire strategy. Companies failing to embrace this transformative premise of innovation fall by the wayside.

According to Accenture, the way a company “rotates to the new” is critical to the very survival of the business akin to a plane’s take off trajectory. Too steep and you risk a tail strike and lifting off too gently would mean you run out of the runway.

Pressure to innovate

As organisations increasingly face pressure to innovate, business needs to strike the right balance and speed to succeed.  

Accenture has developed the knowledge required to help clients successfully navigate the flightpath involved in “rotating to the new”, before innovative competitors have a chance to disrupt them.

Speaking at the launch, Yusof Seedat, director at Accenture Research said, “The second machine age is here and companies that do not disrupt and reinvent – strategically and culturally could be disrupted to the point of extinction.

“Africa Observatory enables data-driven, solution-led, research and insights that has the potential to change the way Africa works and lives. The Africa Observatory is a living site that gives you access to Accenture’s cutting-edge research related to Africa.”

Targeted at a host of audiences like incubators and investors, public and private sector stakeholders, academia, student researchers and media amongst others, the newly created portal is laser guided to ensure the cutting-edge research assets contribute to fostering a closer collaboration between the industry and Accenture.

Resource

Africa Observatory is a free portal and will showcase Accenture’s expertise in established and emerging topics related to leading in the digital world – from data driven analytics, hyper-relevance, security to blockchain and AI. Through the portal users will be able to find information effortlessly on broad range disruptions, map trends, discover how they affect longevity and scalability of business and assess susceptibility – at a single location that stores and presents information.

Accenture employs over 250 researchers who partner with world-class organisations such as MIT and Singularity to discover innovative solutions, identify and anticipate game-changing business, market and technology trends through breakthrough thought leadership.

As part of Accenture’s Innovation Architecture, researchers shape trends and create data driven insights about the most pressing issues organisations face and are laser focused on transforming theories and ideas into solutions.

“All current research efforts will be integrated, and this robust body of business intelligence will be presented on Africa Observatory. Interest groups across industries will definitely find the information critical to building innovative new businesses and products based on the latest technological breakthroughs and trends,” said Seedat.

“Strengthening the connection between customers and companies is critical to our strategy for spurring the continent’s innovation economy and unlocking Africa’s abundance for all, which is a central focus of the Africa Observatory.

"The launch of this portal shows our commitment to providing a more valuable and simplified online environment for those interested in Accenture’s point of view. Africa Observatory is one of the instruments that we are making available to encourage deeper understanding of trends that are shaping the world of tomorrow."