In the face of challenging global economic conditions, central banks play a vital role in navigating economic headwinds and formulating effective monetary policies. Angola’s central bank recognized the need for a digital transformation project to modernize its technology infrastructure and leverage the latest innovations. This endeavor has yielded significant benefits, enhancing the bank’s capabilities, agility, and setting the stage for future innovation.

Armindo Fortes, IT Director at the National Bank of Angola (BNA), explains the motivation behind the project: “While our previous SAP system was groundbreaking for our country’s financial services sector, its outdated nature and extensive customization necessitated a change. With the support of our valued partners at PwC and SAP, we undertook a project to replace our legacy system and introduce new capabilities crucial for the bank’s operations.”

As the institution responsible for issuing and managing Angola’s national currency, overseeing the banking system, and shaping monetary policies, BNA collaborated closely with implementation partner PwC and SAP to ensure the project’s success.

Tito Tavares, Director at PwC Angola, outlines the project’s objectives, including migrating to SAP’s advanced S/4HANA platform to unlock new business processes, enhance digitalization and automation, and fortify treasury and liquidity for local financial institutions. The project also delivered robust management reporting capabilities to support BNA’s supervisory role.

The implementation of SAP S/4HANA has yielded various benefits, including enhanced system performance, streamlined management reporting, and a foundation for launching new products and services to strengthen Angola’s financial system. Additional solutions, such as SAP BW4/HANA and SAP Ariba, are being integrated to drive further improvements in business processes and data exchange efficiency.

BNA is well-positioned for future growth and innovation. Through effective change management and continuous training initiatives, the bank has prioritized user adoption of the new system, ensuring tangible business outcomes from the implementation.

Kholiwe Makhohliso, Managing Director at SAP Southern Africa, highlights the significance of technology adoption in banking operations, emphasizing that the National Bank of Angola is poised to enhance operational efficiency, lower costs, and provide decision-makers with real-time insights. With a roadmap for future innovations, BNA is well-positioned to harness the benefits of digital transformation in the years ahead.