Demand for business software products is fast accelerating in Africa - that`s the experience of Softline`s accounting and payroll specialist Pastel Software, which reports revenue growth of between 30% and 40% in Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.
"By our year-end in March, we anticipate that our overall revenue for the international side of the business will have grown by 350% over the 2001-2002 financial year," says Jeff Lewis, international sales director at Pastel Software. "I am quite staggered by the spread of business in Africa - it`s hard to keep up with it. I have been getting between three and five requests a week from distributors wanting to join our Africa network."
Globally, Pastel now operates in 42 countries through 61 distributors and Lewis says a significant portion of this overall business is in Africa.
The driving force behind this growth has been the company`s formal international training programme. "From virtually nothing a year ago, we now have courses booked for every week of the year, a programme that is keeping three fulltime training consultants and a manager extremely busy."
Pastel now has distributors in 21 African countries -- Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Ivory Coast, Mali, Rwanda, Togo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, the DRC (Congo), Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius and the Seychelles Islands.
"We have at least one distributor in each of these countries and two in some. However, others like Kenya and Zambia, have a distributor and three and four authorised resellers respectively and the markets there are growing proportionately."
Lewis says much of the impetus for the growth of the overall business has come from the distributors and their dealer networks. "Of their own accord they have built up general awareness through media advertising, billboards and signage and press coverage, which is a win-win situation for them and us."
A campaign of recruitment and awareness launches by Pastel in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Namibia, Mauritius, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda and Ghana has also created a profile for the distributors among the accountant communities, resellers and businesses in each country. Many accounting firms have joined Pastel`s Accountants Forum, adding an extra dimension to the distribution network.
"We have another nine of these campaign launches planned over the next three or four months. The involvement of the accounting profession is helping considerably to lay a solid foundation for the widespread use of accounting software solutions in both private sector business and government operations," says Lewis.
Through the Nigerian distribution partner, the Nigerian Treasury is now installing Pastel Accounting V6 software, which Lewis sees as a major achievement that will create other opportunities in private sector business.
"The Africa technology revolution is beginning to take wing and we`re pleased to be part of it."
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Pastel Software is SA`s largest accounting and payroll software developer. A company in the JSE-listed Softline group, Pastel has for more than a decade exported products to Africa, Europe, UK, the US, Australia and Asia. Pastel accounting software is used by more than 150 000 companies, operating in 42 countries.
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