Discovering IBM

Airtel Africa employees experience becoming IBMers

In September 2010, Bharti Airtel and IBM announced a major agreement, for technology services in 16 African countries. For the past couple of months Airtel employees from Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi and more have joined IBM and started discovering what it means to be an IBMer.

First impressions

The moment of joining IBM and the following weeks are those any IBMer will always remember. For Jerry Bansah , in Ghana, getting on track couldn't have been easier. "I've found a lot of satisfaction in working as an IBMer for this short period after joining IBM. I've been introduced to new ways of doing things which in my opinion will increase my level of productivity and ease my work. One notable and impressive thing I have not experienced in my past employments but is available in IBM, is the ability of IBMers to train and develop themselves in various job roles during their career with IBM. Above all, I like the conducive environment of working."

"My first impressions of IBM is the top quality of talent you get to work with. Absolutely top-notch professionals from almost anywhere on the globe with extensive knowledge and skills in their respective fields. It's not just technical and sales professionals, but also top executives in Marketing, HR, Research, Consultancy and Product development. Most of the IBMers I've interacted with have been with the organization for over 10+ years," said Edward Gichia from Kenya.

Joining IBM in its 100th year of existence

It is indeed very impressive to join IBM in such a unique year like the Centennial. "It's an exciting feeling joining an industry leader in its 100th year of existence. The past 100 years have been years of great achievement, I can't wait to see what the future holds and be a part of it," said Grace Wanjiru Nguhu from Kenya.

"It feels great to be part of a winning team that has been a global leader in the field of computing and innovation for 100 years. Last week I watched Watson play against the finest Jeopardy players. I'm a chess player and this reminds me of the famous triumphant 1997 match between Deep Blue and G. Kasparov, the greatest chess player of all time," said Edward.

"I feel like I have been part of making clocks, scales and cheese slicers, punched-card tabulator, typewriters, vacuum tube calculators, magnetic tape, the first disk drive, the memory chip, FORTRAN, fractals, ATMs, mainframes, mini-computers and personal computers. I am privileged to be part of the footprint in this growing global company," said Una Njega from Kenya.

Already passionate about IBM

By far the global nature of IBM is something to enjoy experiencing and be passionate about. For Grace being part of IBM means experiencing diversity in all its facets: culture, experience, skills and geography-wise. The access to knowledge, experts and the diverse career opportunities are making Serwaa Owusu-Ansa , in Ghana, want to explore more. "I have never felt so enthusiastic about my work like I do with IBM. When I first visited the IBM intranet site, I found myself reading the profiles of IBMers who surprisingly were employed with IBM before I was even born. Why? Afterwards I learned it's about the many learning opportunities IBMers can explore and the various career paths one can follow in time. It is with IBM that I have seen IBMers who start off as receptionist and rise as high up as a manager. I plan to drive my own career and like a rubik's cube, will keep turning until I find the best fit."

Wishing them GOOD LUCK!