Software solutions for Namibia

Although relatively small, Namibia’s market eco- nomy is well run by government and industry players, and the economy continues to register substantial growth, particularly in the mining sector, says accounting software solutions provider AccTech Systems.

AccTech claims to have a stake in a large portion of the Namibian market and describes its business in the Southern Africa country as stable, with experienced profes- sionals running operations at the company’s Namibia branch.

AccTech considers Namibia to be a profitable country, registering significant growth every year. “While the software market is not necessarily growing, AccTech is becoming better at what it does and can, therefore, tailor-make solutions to suit various kinds of markets,” says AccTech Systems divisional director Marc Gower.

The company recognises that Namibia and other African countries are adapting to mobile solutions, even in the most remote areas. “While remote distances do pose a challenge when it comes to connectivity and signal, and AccTech staff members are required to drive long distances to offer technical or on-site support, these challenges are not dissimilar to those faced in other African regions or even in other parts of the world,” he says.

Meanwhile, AccTech boasts that all 15 of its Namibia-based employees are Namibian. “AccTech is continuously working on skills development and training,” says Gower, adding that the com- pany and the industry rely strongly on technological advancements and trends.

He highlights that AccTech aims to keep up with the latest technological advancements and spends about 30% of its time on the learning programmes.

Further, Gower tells Mining Weekly that AccTech does not plan to establish any more branches in Namibia, but is rather focused on introducing more products to the market.

“Originally, most of Namibia was using Sage AccPack, otherwise known as Sage 300 ERP, as a software solution to monitor accounting-related processes in businesses. However, Sage ERP X3 was launched in South Africa in 2008 and is being implemented extensively and successfully. We are also expecting growth potential for customer relationship management (CRM) in Namibia,” Gower says.

He adds that, while Sage software is known for its flexibility, it significantly contributes to containing costs by supporting multiple technologies, databases and operating systems.

Gower further highlights that Sage’s product offering includes multiple solutions. “AccTech has two approaches to implementing ERP systems. The first is an integrated approach, where one solution automates the operational aspects of a business and manages operations from A to Z in a single system,” he says, adding that this system is generally used by larger organisations that have information technology departments.

The second approach is the traditional method, known as the modular approach, which is still growing. Companies selecting a modular approach automate specific parts of their operations independently and then add more modules for other areas later.

“However, regardless of whether a business implements a real- time fully integrated system or a modular system, both systems can be hosted in the cloud and the customers pay as they go, rather than buy a full system upfront,” explains Gower.

Besides its Namibia-based operations, AccTech has also imple- mented systems in Western, Central and Southern Africa. He further highlights that AccTech has offices in the US and is receiving significant interest from US-based mines. “American mining companies are showing a great deal of interest in the technology we have developed for African mining settings, which are some of the most advanced in the world,” he concludes.