Tech News
Andela to lay off over 400 young developers and concentrate on experienced engineers
Andela has announced the departure from its Nigeria and Uganda hubs of approximately 250 junior engineers and employees with another 170 potentially affected in Kenya.
Andela who recently raised $100 million shared in a statement that now deals with all workers impacted and potentially affected.
According to Seni Sulyman, Andela VP of Global Operations, most of the market is for more seasoned talent. Now on the search for growth Andela needs to change their talent base’s mix / composition and have been recruiting and evaluating mid-level and senior engineers, representing over 25% of Andela’s talent base.
7/ As a result, we’ve come to the conclusion that Andela’s next phase of growth requires a strategic shift in how we think about talent. Historically, we have viewed our talent supply as being primarily junior with some mid-level and senior engineers.
— Seni Sulyman (@senisulyman) September 17, 2019
Jeremy Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Andela says: “As the world of technology has changed, we also have, and over the past few years it has become increasingly clear that the world needs what Andela provides: high-quality innovation as a product. Nevertheless, it has also become apparent that most of the demand is for more seasoned talent, and we need to expand our senior talent base even faster in order to keep up with it.
“This change in demand also means we now have more young talent than we can position. This is a problem for the company and those junior engineers who want and deserve meaningful work experiences that we can not offer.”
Beyond this restructure, Andela continues to grow rapidly with plans to hire an additional 700 experienced engineers by the end of 2020. Today’s announcement will not affect Andela customers’ operations, as the company evolves to deliver even stronger engineering support for their teams.
Seni Sulyman, Andela VP of Global Operations says, “Our immediate priority is to ensure that our colleagues who are affected by this change are well supported to succeed in their next career moves. We are in talks with tech leaders across Africa, who have been very supportive in exploring opportunities for these talented Andelans. We are also focusing our attention on providing adequate support for the rest of Andela during this period, as we continue to build a world-class engineering organization.”
Moving forward, the company will continue to invest in the Andela Learning Community (ALC), which has already introduced over 30,000 learners from across the continent to software engineering. Over the next three years, the company expects over 100,000 engineers from across the continent to take advantage of programs within the community.
Johnson added, “Five years ago, we launched Andela to solve a global challenge: Brilliance is evenly distributed, but the opportunity is not. To succeed in our long-term mission, we have to make tough decisions to continue growing a company that we know will change the way the world thinks about talent.”
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Articles
A conference on blockchain and health is scheduled to be held at the Africa Blockchain Developers Call.
The Africa Blockchain Developers Call (ABDC) Pan-African Bootcamp on blockchain technology has declared its intention to hold a weekend conference on incorporating blockchain technology into Africa’s health sector.
In an attempt to execute comprehensive blockchain training sessions and promote the implementation of specially designed applications for different sectors in Africa, the Bootcamp, officially launched on 5 September, has taken on a host of African developers.
The Bootcamp also features virtual weekend conferences on many use-cases for blockchain. These conferences are aimed at encouraging creative and comprehensive discussions on the implementation of blockchain technology in Africa, including platform presentations by businesses and panel sessions on many Blockchain issues. The first meeting, focusing on Blockchain in Finance, took place on September 5. It featured a keynote speech given by Professor Anicia Peters, University of Namibia Pro-Vice Chancellor for Science, Innovation and Development.
The next conference, scheduled to take place on October 3rd, will focus on the theme: Blockchain in Health. The keynote speech will be given by Arnab Paul, President of the Kolkata Chapter in India. Several organizations and startups will also give platform presentations via their representatives based on medical use cases for blockchain technology.
Health
HealthPlus is experiencing a power struggle 2 years after obtaining $18 m from Alta Semper Capital
A press release apparently released on September 25 by the Board of HealthPlus, one of the largest integrated pharmacy chains in West Africa, confirmed that the company no longer needed the services of its founder, Bukky George, as CEO.
The decision to terminate the appointment of George came with the announcement of Chidi Okoro, the interim leader.
Okoro, a renowned pharmacist and management executive, is to take on the position of Chief Officer of Transformation. Okoro, akin to the position of a CEO, can simplify day-to-day management, help the company scale, and achieve profitability.
And a letter that appears to be from the board of HealthPlus to the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) states that George “remains a shareholder of the company, a member of the board of the company, and may engage at board level in the company’s decision-making process.”
Afsane Jetha and Zachary Fond, Managing Partner & CEO, and Director of Alta Semper Capital, respectively, have signed it off.
From investment and partnership to a fight for power
Alta Semper Capital LLP is a private equity (PE) company that invests in Africa-wide healthcare and consumer businesses. In 2017, the PE company invested in Macro Pharma, a medicated cosmetics company in Egypt.
It made deals with HealthPlus and the Moroccan oncology and radiology clinic, Oncologie et Radiologie du Maroc (ODM), the following year.
The HealthPlus investment was $18 million.
HealthPlus, founded by George in 1999, has expanded to more than 90 retail outlets, employing over 850 employees, including more than 150 pharmacists. In Nigeria, the company claims to be present in 11 of the 36 states in the world.
Operating branches in strategically placed suburban areas, airports, and shopping malls are also recognized.
Alta Semper Capital ‘s investment was to help HealthPlus grow its store footprint. In addition, to attract more talent, grow fulfillment centers and pursue initiatives in eCommerce.
The cash inflow, however, is said to have given the PE firm a majority stake in the company, which is one of the reasons why the company is facing problems at the moment.
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A conference on blockchain and health is scheduled to be held at the Africa Blockchain Developers Call.
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