What this life looks like
You are the heartbeat of an organisation's people strategy. HR Managers recruit the right talent, develop employees, manage performance, build workplace culture, handle employee relations, and ensure the organisation complies with employment law. Every organisation — from a two-person startup to a government ministry — needs skilled people professionals to build teams that deliver results.
What she actually does
You oversee recruitment and onboarding, manage performance management systems, design compensation and benefits structures, handle employee grievances and disciplinary processes, develop and implement HR policies, build learning and development programmes, track workforce data, and advise leadership on people strategy. Modern HR also involves significant data analysis and technology.
Where you can work
| Sector | Places in Africa |
|---|---|
| Financial Services | Stanbic IBTC People Division, Safaricom HR, Access Bank HR, Standard Bank Group HR |
| Consulting & Professional | PwC People Advisory Africa, Deloitte Human Capital, Accenture HR Transformation |
| FMCG & Manufacturing | Unilever Africa HR, Nestlé Nigeria HR, Procter & Gamble Africa, Coca-Cola Africa HR |
| Tech & Startups | Andela (Pan-Africa), Flutterwave, Jumia, Interswitch — all have growing people teams |
Why it matters in Africa
As African businesses professionalise, scale, and compete regionally and globally for talent, the quality of their HR function becomes increasingly important. The African labour market is the world's youngest and fastest-growing, creating both extraordinary talent opportunity and significant HR management complexity. Skilled HR professionals are in high demand across all sectors.
Your pathway in
- Study Human Resources, Psychology, Business Administration, or Industrial Relations at university
- Pursue HR professional certification: CIPD (UK/global), SHRM (USA), or CIPM (Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, Nigeria)
- Gain entry-level HR experience through graduate roles or HR internships
- Develop skills in HR information systems (HRIS): SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle HCM
- Build expertise in employment law for your country — it is foundational knowledge for any HR professional
Skills you will need
- Recruitment and talent management
- Employment law knowledge
- Performance management
- HR information systems
- Employee relations
- Data analysis
A woman in this field
Lola Esan
Nigeria
Lola is a renowned workforce strategy expert and currently the Partner and People Consulting Leader at EY (Ernst & Young) West Africa. With a career spanning over two decades, she has held senior leadership roles at PwC Nigeria, Cornerstone Insurance, and Phillips Consulting.
Take your first step
- Research the CIPD qualification and how it differs from the CIPM (Nigeria) — both are routes into the profession
- Observe the HR function around you: how are people recruited to your school, how are rules enforced, how are complaints handled?
- Complete a free introductory HR management course on Coursera or edX from a reputable university
- Join the SHRM student community at shrm.org — they offer free student resources on HR best practices