Our value proposition in Professional Services is at the Centre of an aggressive technological revolution, currently taking place globally with the African continent vowing not to be lagging behind. Organizations are investing heavily in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in pursuing the following strategic objectives;

• Staying relevant
• Penetrating new markets
• Driving efficiency
• Access to information

This heavy investment in ICT presents new challenges, as these innovations are now taking a trajectory where machines have capabilities of doing what humans would ordinarily do, evidently these machines in most instances are proving to be dependable, accurate and most of all worthwhile investments from an investors’ perspective. The narrative of centrality of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) phase creates anxiety in many people, this then leads to resistance in the adoption of these new technology innovations and consequently social tensions that inhibit optimisation of such investments.

 Our narrative at OPECS Professional Services moves from the premise that we firmly believe machines cannot replace people.

Rather a complementary relationship that can lead to synergistic outcomes if the right approach is adopted towards the introduction of technology. In the context of the 4IR and investing in AI technologies, often technology is not the problem, culture is. It is within this context that we adopt the approach that we do in driving Change Management. The focus should be more on people and their readiness to embrace technology and on emphasising objective realities of the 4IR and how best to optimise on the opportunities for the benefit of humankind. At the core of the 4IR is the need to find better ways of tackling the socio-economic challenges facing humanity, whilst creating a quality of life for all the citizens of the world.