Experts, partners, and customers at the recent SAPHILA 2025 conference have emphasized that cloud and business AI innovations are key drivers of growth for organizations across Africa. The conference, held from June 1 to 3 at the Sun City Resort & Convention Centre in South Africa, brought together industry leaders to explore new opportunities and leverage the latest technologies.
According to Sergio Maccotta, Vice President of SAP Middle East Africa South, “Africa is a vital region for SAP’s vision of bringing out the best in every business.” Thomas Pfiester, Head of Global Customer Engagement & Services and Member of the Extended Board at SAP, stressed the importance of a holistic approach to business transformation and cloud adoption to unlock the full value of innovations like AI.
Research conducted by SAP found that cloud and AI skills are highly prized among African organizations, with all companies surveyed expecting the demand for AI skills to increase this year. Stefan Steinle, Executive Vice President and Head of Customer Support & Cloud Lifecycle Management at SAP, highlighted how companies adopting an AI-first and suite-first strategy are revolutionizing their business operations.
The conference featured keynote speeches, interactive sessions, and practical sessions, including an Ask Me Anything session and product deep dives. Nazia Pillay, Interim Managing Director for South Africa at SAP, emphasized the importance of SAPHILA in providing invaluable insights and guidance on leveraging cloud and business AI technologies.
Amanda Gibbs, AFSUG CEO, described SAPHILA as an “unmissable event” for companies and partners leveraging SAP’s technologies to drive innovation and transformation.
