AfDB ranks 4th best company to work for in Africa

The 2018 Careers in Africa Employer of Choice Survey has ranked the African Development Bank (AfDB) the fourth best company to work with in Africa. Of 100 companies listed, the top four include the World Bank Group, Chevron, Exxon Mobil and the African Development Bank.

Over 20,000 African professionals answered questions about employee engagement and employment conditions with opportunities to learn new skills, quality of healthcare provisions, leadership and opportunities for advancement emerging as key indicators of great employers.

Commenting on the African Development Bank ranking, Alex Mugan, managing director of the Global Career Company and co-author of the survey with UK-based firm Willis Towers Watson said: “The importance of making a positive impact came through strongly in responses to the study.

“This, together with the on-going organisational transformation at the African Development Bank, explains the continued high esteem in which the bank (as an employer) is viewed by many African professionals worldwide.”

Trust in senior leadership, especially leaders that listen, those who set a good ethical example, and who deliver the values of the business, emerged as the top three most important factors in choosing an employer in Africa.

“Employees are interested in leaders that push a good mission. Brands whose leaders are very visible doing those things have tended to do well,” Mugan further indicated.

According to Akinwunmi Adesina, president of the AfDB, “the ranking is further validation of the work of the board and management to accelerate critically needed institutional changes and efforts to attract the best and the brightest to help implement the Bank’s High-5 agenda to Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the quality of life of Africans.”

The Bank scored high in attracting top talents from across all Africa. It also retained its position in the top 5 of established corporate and multilateral organizations.

The report highlights a shift in the talent landscape with an increased interest in investment finance from job seekers and a quest for digital savvy experts from employers.

Overall, the survey revealed that job security is considered one of the main reasons to remain in an organization. In addition to attraction drivers for men, including skills development, the report suggests that female professionals have a greater interest in healthcare opportunities, flexible working conditions, work-life balance, and ethics.

More than just a listing, the report seeks to shape the conversation around what makes a great employer in Africa and through that change employee experience across the continent positively.

The 100-list includes banks, oil companies, FMCG brands and mobile phone operators.