Atos wants to be the corporate bridge that drives the new digital economy in Africa

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 29 November 2016.-Atos Canarias will be the bridgehead for the operations in Africa of its Spanish clients. The company wants to be the engine of the new digital economy in this continent and to promote its sustainable growth. "The Canary Islands are a part of Europe geographically situated in Africa and the ideal platform for the development of commercial relations that favor the economic and social impetus of these countries," says José Manuel Rodríguez Macías, director of Atos Canarias.

Africa is the oldest and also the youngest continent, a continent in full dynamism and growth that offers a multitude of opportunities for the investment of companies of all kinds and from any part of the world. Five of the ten economies that have grown the most in recent years are African and Africa is the continent with the largest young population in the world. "The boost of economic activity," says the director of Atos Canarias "will offer new opportunities to this huge young African population with tremendous potential and who demand a better future and a better outlet for their aspirations."

Atos Canarias offers, both the companies that want to operate on the continent and African institutions, the most complete portfolio of IT services and solutions and the experience and expertise of a global group, present in 72 countries, with more than 100,000 employees and pro forma annual revenue of circa € 12 billion.

Atos Canarias hosts one of the main global service centers of the corporation in the world, from which services are provided to more than 100 multinational companies. "The team is currently made up of 700 highly qualified professionals who work in 12 different languages and will grow to 1,000 employees next year", explains the director of the Canarian office. "One of our objectives," he adds, "is to train professionals from the different African countries in the Canary Islands, favoring technological transfer".

Atos in Africa

The relationship between Atos and the African continent is long and intense. The company is currently present in 12 countries: Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Egypt and Madagascar. It has two global service centers, one in Casablanca (Morocco), with 1,500 employees, and another in Dakar (Senegal) with more than 250 employees, with a total workforce in Africa of 2,000 employees and expected to grow to 5,000 in 2020.

Accelerating digital and sustainable transformation in Africa

Atos has created a portfolio of services designed to meet the critical and sustainability challenges of African countries, which have a strong impact in sectors such as finance, telecommunications, education, health, administration and government. Services using state-of-the-art technologies such as mobility, cloud computing, Big Data, data analysis and cybersecurity, capable of responding to the requirements of economic performance, operational requirements and sustainable development of these countries.

"We want to have an active part in the development of the digital industry in Africa," says José Manuel Rodríguez Macías, "accelerating continent connectivity, creating a secure digital space for government, businesses and citizens, and capitalizing on and driving innovation supporting the development of local start-ups and talent."

Atos in Canary Islands

Atos has been present in the Canary Islands since 1997 and currently has a team of more than 700 professionals and a center of Excellence in Customer Service in Tenerife, which serves more than 100 companies from 40 countries in Europe, Africa and America.

From the Canary Islands, Atos provides to its global portfolio of clients IT services of Consulting and Integration of Systems, Managed Operations and BPO, Cloud operations, Big Data solutions and Cybersecurity, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry. Thanks to his deep experience in technology and knowledge of the different sectors, he works with clients present in various business sectors: Defense, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media and Utilities, Public Sector, Retail, Telecommunications and Transportation. 

Create value in the Canary Islands

Since 1997, Atos Canarias has promoted the creation of value in the islands and is the main IT company in the archipelago, with offices in the two Canarian capitals. In 2008 it launched the Center for Excellence in Customer Care in Tenerife, an international center with a tricontinental nature (Europe, Africa and America), which has recently been expanded into new facilities, with more than 4,000m², prepared to host more than 800 professionals in 2017.

"Atos Canarias has been betting for the creation of Value in the islands for decades," says José Manuel Rodríguez Macías, who has a 40 million impact on the Canary Islands from the activity of the company between 2010 and 2016.