Industry leaders have urged organisations to adopt digital technologies to reduce compliance risks and enhance workforce management. The call emerged from discussions at SAP HR Connect in Johannesburg, where HR executives, business leaders, and tech experts examined the impact of tightening regulations on human resource functions. Nazia Pillay, Managing Director for Southern Africa at SAP, stated that public and private sector firms are racing to use AI and cloud technologies to boost competitiveness and innovation. She emphasized that an active, motivated workforce is essential to achieving value from transformation initiatives, especially as demand for key skills reaches record levels. Manishwar Tiwary, Head of SAP HCM for MEA South, warned that compliance is now a continuous, data-driven process, not a periodic task. He said reliance on spreadsheets and fragmented systems exposes organisations to risk and inefficiency, while also diverting HR capacity from strategic work like talent development and workforce planning. A 2025 PwC global study found 82 per cent of companies plan to increase technology investment to strengthen compliance. Ravika Bandyopadhyay, Chief Operating Officer, Group Human Capital at Sanlam, described their digital strategy as "ambidextrous," balancing operational efficiency with incremental innovation. Kammy Sing, Chief Operating Officer, Discovery People at Discovery Ltd, stressed that integrating data, technology, and people enables organisations to evolve and create platforms for sustained growth. Participants agreed that digital HR systems provide a single, accurate source of workforce data, improve compliance consistency, and allow HR teams to focus on culture, performance, and development.
Nazia Pillay says firms are racing to adopt AI and cloud tools for competitiveness, yet many Nigerian companies still rely on manual HR systems that increase compliance risks. The 82 per cent of global firms planning tech investment for compliance, as cited in the PwC study, likely excludes most Nigerian organisations operating without integrated digital platforms. This gap puts Nigerian workers and employers at a disadvantage, especially as regulatory demands grow more complex. Without access to the same tools, local HR teams may remain bogged down in administrative tasks instead of driving strategic growth.
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