Mercer South Africa partners with Nigerian HR consultancy EZ37 Solutions

The South African arm of Mercer has agreed an alliance with EZ37 Solutions, a Nigeria based human resources consultancy. 

With over 20,000 employees across offices in 40+ countries, Mercer is one of the globe’s larger human resources consulting firms. The consultancy serves the African market through its office in Pretoria, South Africa, and, in a bid to improve its offerings in the Nigerian market, the firm has entered into a strategic partnership with local HR services firm EZ37 Solutions. 

Established in 2009, EZ37 Solutions is a management consulting firm that specialises in human capital services, including organisational development, performance management, HR outsourcing and HR transformation. The firm, based in Nigeria’s capital city Lagos, also provides broader professional services such as search & selection, recruitment and soft skills training, to both private as well as public organisations. Companies that are part of its roster include FirstBank, British American Tobacco, Nigerian Breweries, The World Bank, Sumal and Microsoft.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mercer will leverage the local knowledge and network of EZ37 Solutions to grow its business in the country, and in return, the Nigerian consultancy will be able to utilise Mercer’s global thought leadership and proprietary tools to enhance the quality of services. “EZ37 Solutions is committed to further strengthening and expanding the provision of forward-thinking human resource solutions across the Nigeria. The partnership between both organisations will expand the current human capital portfolio which will result in significantly enhanced and tailored solutions to meet the increasing demand for such services in the Nigerian and West African operating environment,” said Adaora Ayoade, CEO of EZ37 Solutions.

Ayoade founded the firm after working more than eight years for Ibadan International School, a school located on the Campus of the University of Ibadan that is authorised by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to teach the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). In her most recent role, Ayoade served as Head of HR & Corporate Services. Prior to that, she worked for thirteen years in the UK for an event management and training company and a communications consultancy, among others. 

The Managing Director of EZ37 Solutions is supported three other professionals: Nnamdi Azike, Oloruntobi Ojo, Ayoola Allu. For the four person strong team, the alliance with Mercer will allow them to, aside broadening the offerings mix and client base, also expand into new products and solution sets.

Commenting on the partnership, Anne-Magriet Schoeman, CEO of Mercer South Africa, said, “We are honoured to be partnering with such a strong and reputable player in the local market, we are excited about the growth opportunities this new partnership will offer both entities.”

The move comes one month after Mercer unveiled its new Africa hub. Based in Casablanca, Morocco, the firm’s new office aims to support its other francophone North African teams with a range of wealth and career solutions. 

With a population of 186 million, roughly triple the size of South Africa’s population, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country. A recent study from The Boston Consulting Group, however, found that the country’s rapid economic growth in recent years has not fairly translated into better well-being for its people.