A new IT services company, Smart Hands Africa, has been launched to meet rising demand for skilled IT professionals across the African continent. As part of its establishment, Smart Hands Africa has also announced a strategic joint venture with ITArmi, a global provider of on-demand IT expertise operating in 167 countries. 

This partnership will see Smart Hands Africa – spearheaded by seasoned local IT professional Anton Jacobsz - become ITArmi’s official presence in Africa, facilitating seamless technology deployment and support for OEMs, distributors and resellers across the continent.

According to Jacobsz, CEO at Smart Hands Africa and ITArmi Africa, local organisations are in dire need of flexible, scalable and highly skilled IT resources to drive digital transformation. “Smart Hands Africa, powered by ITArmi, is set to play a key role in this process, providing fast, on-demand access to proven IT professionals, thus enabling businesses to scale their IT projects efficiently across the continent."

Addressing the African IT skills gap

Jacobsz explains that Smart Hands Africa’s service model has been designed to provide an agile, cost-effective alternative to traditional recruitment companies and fixed-term contracts. Through ITArmi’s platform, businesses gain access to a network of vetted IT professionals whose skills and previous project ratings are readily available.

"Our approach ensures that IT channel partners, including OEMs, distributors and resellers, can quickly deploy experienced professionals for projects in one or multiple African countries," he adds. "With a team encompassing an expert architect capable of designing comprehensive solutions, and a seasoned project manager with over 30 years of experience in African IT deployments, we offer end-to-end service delivery."

Key services and benefits

Smart Hands Africa’s comprehensive service offering includes:

Project planning and execution – Full-service management, from drafting Statements of Work (SOWs) to final deployment;

Logistics as a service – Handling shipping, import duties, VAT complications and Importer of Record (IOR) processes;

Engineer as a service – Deployment of skilled engineers for on-site or remote installation and maintenance; and

Ongoing managed services – Ensuring continuous IT support post-installation.

While ITArmi has already delivered IT projects in numerous African countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and more, the partnership with Smart Hands Africa will expand and streamline its service reach across the continent.

Leading a recruitment drive to strengthen Africa’s IT workforce

As part of its launch, Smart Hands Africa is calling on IT professionals across Africa to join its growing network of over 1,800 engineers already signed up on the platform globally.

The company is actively seeking independent contractors and IT specialists with expertise in high-demand areas such as cybersecurity, Microsoft Azure and cloud migration. Additionally, channel partners with excess IT talent can leverage Smart Hands Africa to deploy their resources more effectively, generating additional revenue.

Smart Hands Africa’s current offering encompasses data augmentation, integration and cloud solutions; DevOps and IT service management; SecOps, security and compliance; outsourcing and managed services; monitoring and reporting; ERP; and computer services, amongst others. The organisation is able to assist customers and partners at any point in their smart cloud journey.

"Our vision is to be Africa’s leading IT service partner, bridging the skills gap and enabling seamless technology deployment," concludes Jacobsz. "Through this joint venture with ITArmi, we are committed to empowering IT channel partners with the expertise needed to accelerate growth, enhance service delivery and drive digital transformation across the continent."