African Tech Employers Put Greater Focus on Adaptability and Business Skills

Technical ability is increasingly being treated as only the starting point for engineers seeking career progression in Africa’s technology ecosystem, with employers placing greater emphasis on communication, business understanding, adaptability and practical problem-solving.

A report on changing requirements for engineers argues that professionals may perform well in coding tasks and technical assessments but still struggle to connect their work to wider organisational goals. It describes traditional assessments that equate programming ability with commercial value as an increasingly unreliable measure of workplace performance.

Technical skills remain important, but are no longer enough

The report says technical proficiency has become an entry requirement rather than a guarantee of long-term value. Retention and leadership potential, it argues, increasingly depend on capabilities that extend beyond programming languages, syntax and logic.

The changing role of technology in software development is also contributing to the shift. Artificial intelligence and generative tools are increasingly handling initial code generation and routine software builds, allowing engineers to focus more on deciding which problems are worth solving, gaining stakeholder support and guiding teams through change.

Programming skills remain relevant, but the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, as cited in the report, ranked programming 23rd out of 26 competencies. Analytical thinking and resilience were identified among the leading core workforce skills, while demand for leadership and social influence reportedly rose by 22 percentage points over two years.

Employers seek broader operational capabilities

The report points to difficulties faced by businesses in finding workers who can apply technical knowledge effectively. A survey of leading enterprise firms in Egypt, cited in the report, found that 78 per cent struggled to find talent with adequate operational capabilities, including creative thinking and problem-solving.

It also cites data from Morocco’s High Commission for Planning showing that 282,000 new positions were created between early 2024 and 2025. At the same time, 37.7 per cent of university graduates were reportedly unemployed amid structural mismatches between available skills and labour-market needs.

These figures are presented as evidence of a gap between formal qualifications and the capabilities businesses require. The report recommends that recruiters and engineering leaders assess how candidates execute work, explain their reasoning, communicate with stakeholders and learn independently.

Practical learning proposed as an alternative

The report calls for education and recruitment models built around collaboration, practical application and real-world deliverables rather than relying mainly on examinations or isolated technical tests.

Under the practical model described, graduation would depend on building functional systems and defending solutions before peers. The approach is intended to test not only whether a person can produce a technical result, but also whether they understand their decisions and can communicate them effectively.

ALX Africa is cited as using a training structure made up of 10 per cent traditional learning, 20 per cent peer interaction and 70 per cent practical application. The organisation reportedly says more than 60 per cent of its graduates secure job placement within six months, rising to more than 90 per cent within a year. Hiring partners are also said to return for additional candidates trained through the blended skills framework.

Continuous learning becomes a career requirement

The report says programming languages and frameworks can become outdated quickly, with some technical tools potentially being replaced before a new engineer completes probation. As a result, continuous, self-directed learning is presented as a stronger indicator of long-term value than the knowledge a worker brings at the beginning of a career.

Mohamed Moniem, ALX’s General Manager for North Africa, is identified as responsible for the organisation’s regional strategy, operations and growth. He was previously a petroleum engineer and co-founded pyramidBITS, a digital transformation company.

The report says Moniem began building the ALX Egypt business in 2022, and that it has delivered more than 29,000 graduates in three years. His experience is used to support a broader argument that Africa’s technology ecosystem should invest in adaptable and strategic talent rather than hiring solely on static technical knowledge.