From Excel to AI: How to Stay Relevant in Tech

00:00:06 Mark Smith
Welcome to the MVP show. My intention is that you listen to the stories of these MVP guests and are inspired to become an MVP and bring value to the world through your skills. If you have not checked it out already, I do a YouTube series called How to Become an MVP. The link is in the show notes. With that, Let's get on with the show. There's a knife in the heart Welcome back to the MVP Show. Today's guest is from Ghana. Frederick, welcome to the show.

00:00:41 Frederick Anaafi
Thank you very much, Mark.

00:00:43 Mark Smith
Good to have you on. I always like to start a podcast with what I call the three Fs, food, family, and fun. What did they mean to you? Food, family, and fun, why are they important before we get started?

00:01:00 Frederick Anaafi
From my end, I believe that family is very important. Family really shapes the community or the society in which we live. So I'm married, I'm with three kids and doing very great. I'm more of a family person because I believe that it's the family which really forms the community or the society in which we live. And if the family is really brought up very well and well, then at least it has a positive impact on society. I try all kinds of food. I like trying all kinds of foods. I remember last year we traveled to South Africa. And in there, I try to really try any kind of food in there. My wife was more of like, I have a good stomach because for them, if they try different kinds of food, it will affect their stomach, but at least I like always trying new kind of food. Locally, I really prefer what we call the fufu in Ghana, which is really a powdered cassava and soup.

00:01:56 Mark Smith
Nice, nice. And what do you do for fun when you're not working?

00:02:01 Frederick Anaafi
When I'm not working, I do more of like jogging and then also do more of community work. I believe that at trainers or at MVPs, it's very important that we live in a good body and be in good health, at least also take good care of the family. So for me, yes, in terms of fun, I like exercising, jogging, and also doing more community work, inspiring people to really understand the tech community.

00:02:29 Mark Smit
Tell me about Ghana. Tell me a bit about the community in Ghana around your technology focus and about the country as a whole.

00:02:42 Frederick Anaafi
Okay, thank you. So really Ghana is really in Africa, the western part of Africa, currently 32 million people and really with a very youthful, vibrant in terms of age wise, we have more youth, more than 60%, more of youth under 30. And so for me, most of the young youth really want to enter into tech and use and would like to know how they really want to really impact knowledge in terms when it comes to technology. Now, for my story and what is happening in our country, there's a more of tech drive within Ghana, everybody wants to really enter into the tech space. But the most important thing is to directing them to the right place in terms of where they need to put in their energy. In the universities, tech is driving, in the tertiary and also in the high schools, tech is really playing a very important role. Maybe I'll start with just my story in terms of how maybe I entered into the tech space. So during my tertiary, during my university, I was really more like a go-to person when it comes to data analysis. So everybody was coming to me to really understand what data is. Now when I started work, I don't know whether it was by ingrained or it just come naturally.

00:04:08 Frederick Anaafi
Some of the stuffs I realized that I was learning within Excel, it wasn't like I was watching in YouTube, I was just exploring and finding out more stuff to do. So at the workplace, I was more of the go-to person where everybody comes to me to really understand what data is. And also if it comes to analyzing data, that's what my colleagues were really interested in, coming to me to understand data. Now the question to me was fine, I was doing all the data stuff. How can I compete? How can I compete with outside world? What do I need to know? Then that really informed me to really explore, do I need some certifications? How can I compete with my fellows in the Western world? Then I realized that, oh, there's even a certification called Microsoft Excel Expert. Then quickly, I jumped into it and took the  To be frank, the first time I tried it, I failed. But I didn't give up, I really pushed on and got to the Microsoft Excel expert. After that, I was like, okay, fine, I now have the Excel expert, I'm doing all Microsoft that's in terms of the Excel space. What is the next level when it comes to data analysis? Then I said, no, I did my research and came across Tableau. At that time, Tableau was really, let me call it a love when it comes to Power BI interface, I mean, when it comes to the So then I decided, okay, fine, let me learn Tableau. But Tableau in our part of the world is quite costly because you know that Tableau, you need to subscribe and also pay. It's really a desktop you get for free. So I did that one for almost a year. Then I jumped quickly into Power BI, which I said, okay, fine, then let me get a certification in Power BI. So I did Power BI for some time and got a certification in 2021. Then quickly, let me say, I'm more of community person, I really want to impact knowledge. So then I researched and said, that's fine, if I want to be a trainer and impact knowledge, what can I do within the Microsoft space?

00:06:04 Frederick Anaafi
And that's what really invited me to really apply to be an MCT way back in 2021. So in 2021, apply to be an MCT. Even before that, I was already training people in Microsoft Excel. So that's where I started from, Microsoft Excel, training people on how to use Microsoft Excel both the young graduates, corporates, and also people who want to be more efficient in what they do. I believe that before you even enter into the corporate world, there are some soft skills you can't really, if you are working in the corporate world, definitely you either use a word when you're printing your documents. If you are doing a presentation, definitely use a PowerPoint. And when you also need to analyze, you need Excel to analyze your data, which counts for free, at least for every Microsoft Office you have, you have all those three stars for free. And for me, when you enter the corporate world, you can't do without it. So for me, that was my drive to really get more young graduates to be or to understand when it comes to corporate world, what they can use Excel for, what they can use PowerPoint for, and what they can also use Word for. And that also dovetailed into what I had a brand name called FredExcel. So a colleague of mine came together and said, okay, fine, let's form something called FredExcel. So in the FredExcel space, yes, we have FredExcel YouTube, and also we have FredExcel on all the social media pages. And that's what we have been doing for some time now.

00:07:38 Mark Smith
That is so cool. That is so cool. And what a great journey. I like that you got MCT first. Tell me, how has AI changed things for you? And what are you doing in the AI space?

00:07:52 Frederick Anaafi
Okay, so for me, I see AI as the electricity in our era. When it comes to comparing it to the first revolution, I believe that AI is really going to change things in our era, especially looking at 2025 to '20. AI is really going to impact the world in which we live. And I believe that Africa cannot be left out. And when you look at it, comparing it to electricity, in the first revolution and second revolution, really, it was all about electricity, which really propel in terms of manufacturing, in terms of appliances. Because so fast you had electricity, people were really now manufacturing appliances and also power turbines and all that. and which really created a new economy within that space. I believe that we are also in an era where AI will be more like a general-purpose technology in our era, which more in terms of our economy, in terms of our industry, all will rely on AI. And I believe that AI, as people may put it, AI will take our jobs, but I don't believe that AI will take jobs. It's when you don't learn AI or when you don't understand AI, then yes, you will be left out. And I believe that AI is really going to transform the world in which we live, and it's something which everybody needs, whether we like it or not, really has to get the knowledge about it. Yes, it's a new era. I believe that in the space of AI, we are learning every day. We are learning every day, and AI is getting better and better every day. I know that when they introduce the AI, And even when we're doing prompting, some of the prompts, we're not getting it right. But currently, even before you even prompt, AI give you some suggested prompts for you to really use in the day. So I believe that AI is really going to change our world. It's going to change the economy. It's going to change industry. It's going to transform into all industries in which we find ourselves.

00:09:42 Mark Smith
I totally agree. And when we look at specifically Microsoft 365 Copilot, which is that the category that you've been awarded under as an MVP?

00:09:53 Frederick Anaafi
Yeah, sure.

00:09:53 Mark Smith
Yeah, yeah. So tell us a bit about how that came about for you.

00:09:59 Frederick Anaafi\
Okay, so at least, looking at my background, as I said, I was in the space of office space in terms of data, Power BI, and also Office Word and Excel. So for me, Copilot has been one of my areas which I'm really championing when it comes to aiding in terms of work, because I believe that we need to really adopt AI, understand AI, and really use it. So for me, my drive is Copilot adoption, because on the face of, on the face, whether you're using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, you need Copilot to really aid you to be more efficient in there. If assuming that when it comes to even, even if you're not even paying for the subscribed one and you're even using Copilot chat, at least helps you to even get the framework of any presentation you want to do. So far as you give it the prompt, at least it aids you and also help you to at least get the results faster and also be more efficient in what you do. So I believe that in my space, what I'm using Copilot is. driving more of adoption, letting people become more aware of it, using it on a daily basis to be more efficient in what they do. So for me, that's my drive. And I do more of community work in terms of letting people be aware. Currently, I have some-- so recently, we just had the Dynamicon West Africa, which was really held in-- which was really held in Accra, Ghana, and I was part of the leadership, really fronting it. and really had a very successful dynamic one where the focus was on AI and also Dynamic 365. And we invited people from across the world. We had people coming from the US, and also that was African countries like Nigeria and Kenya. For me, that's my drive.

00:11:41 Frederick Anaafi
And recently, we also did have a community program, which is also a West African program, which is also held in Accra. That was the MCT West Africa, which was very successful. The focal point in there was AI. really driving our economy in West Africa. It was very successful, a two-day program. And for me, all I look at is community. Let's improve your way in terms of the Microsoft tools and what really they can use to really improve. And as we know, Copilot is on all the Microsoft applications, whether you're talking about Dynamics 365, whether you're talking about M365, or even if you're talking about the Power Platform, we have Copilot in there. Even with the common teams, we have Copilot in there, and even Outlook, we have it in there. So for me, Copilot is whether we like it or not we need to get to know. Because now it's not just be a matter of just knowing how to use Word or Excel, but right now, knowing how to use Copilot to work efficiently in the Microsoft interface.

00:12:44 Mark Smith
When you say people need to get to know it, what do you mean by that? Like how, like if people are listening to the show, What steps would you advise that they take to actually develop their skill in Copilot?

00:12:59 Frederick Anaafi
Okay, so for me, one, for you to really learn Copilot, maybe initially in all parts of the world, it's quite expensive to really subscribe to Copilot M365, which cost approximately close to $30. And for one to use Copilot, what I'm really engaging people in is to use a Copilot chat. So what I really tell people is that they should really watch more videos in terms of see how people are using Copilot to really evolve or help or aid in their work that they do. So in my space, what I normally do is that, as I said, I have a lot of communities I'm part of. So we do have an engagement, free virtual trainings in terms on the space of Copilot. And even in terms of even data literacy. Because in the space of co-pilots, people need to be AI fluent. Previously, I know that people really wanted to be more of computer engineers. Currently, I believe that AI engineering will be the ish, or what people should really go into. And also, when it comes to AI fluence, in terms of how to prompt, in terms of how to use defectively. And for me, it's in that space I see that Copilot, in that direction, that's how I'm driving it. But in terms of how I'm also driving Copilot of how people should use it, it's in the space of using it securely and safely. Because for anybody to use a particular program or item, number one, he wants to find its usefulness.

00:14:38 Frederick Anaafi
And the second one is he wants to trust what he or she is using. In this case, the usefulness of Copilot is there. Now, where does the trust come in? The trust is at least the person wants to know that if he's using Copilot, there's safety in there. So far there's safety, then at least he's assured of what he's using. At least he knows that he's using it responsibly. And at least it's also trustworthy. So for me-- and Copilot embodies that because when it comes to Microsoft space, they don't compromise on security.

00:15:07 Mark Smith
Yeah, very good. You mentioned DynamicsCon before. Tell me what was involved in putting that on? You know, how did the event go? Who kind of attended that event? Because I wasn't aware until that this had been run in Ghana.

00:15:28 Frederick Anaafi
Yeah, so it was the first DynamicCon, which is regional, which was held in Africa. And we got my support from the Dynamic User Group based in the US. And really putting it together, there were five leadership in terms of leadership in Accra, Ghana, and also some leadership from Nigeria. So we put that program together. So we had people who were more fluent in AI, also in Dynamic 365, and also Business Central. And in putting this together really took a whole, let me say, five months to really put all this program together. It wasn't really easy because it was the first of its kind. in our sub region, the first. And we really also needed to really get the numbers to attend and also drive it. And the marketing bit was quite difficult, but at least with the support of the team in terms of leadership, we were able to drive and at least we had close to 200 people attending the, yeah, 200 people attended Dynamicon, which was a Saturday a day program. And everybody who attended the program really said that the program was really successful and they learned much from it, especially in the space of Dynamics 365 and also AI, and also M365. And we had people coming all the way from, as I said, from Kenya to attend, which is far away in the south of Africa. We have people coming from Nigeria, and even you have people coming from the US also attending the Dynamic One West Africa. Yes, it was really successful. Knowledge was impacted. There was a lot of networking. For me, the networking was really quite important to me because through the networking, at least, we get to learn from each other, we get to bond, and we get to at least support each other.

00:17:08 Mark Smith
Yeah. So, good. So good to hear just how much the community is growing in Africa and particularly in Ghana and Nigeria is where I'm hearing heaps of good things, heaps of growth. How much involvement do you have with Microsoft in the region?

00:17:30 Frederick Anaafi
Okay, so when it comes to Microsoft in the region, especially in West Africa, the presence of Microsoft is only having their marketing office in Microsoft. So the support we normally get is coming from the community in terms of the user group. So here in Ghana, we do have the MVP community group. We do have more MVPs in Ghana as compared to maybe Australia or let's say the US. Currently, I know that in Ghana, the MVP community will not be more than 15. But yes, but we are trying to make sure that our presence is filled. What we try to do is try to bring more people up to be MVPs, to more of understand the Microsoft tools and how one can also become an MVP. My MVPship, really, I became an MVP this year, and then I was really nominated by Samuel. who nominated me all because of the community work I've been doing. And because I remember when I attended the community lead program. So let me put on record that I'm also a community lead for the Microsoft certified trainers. So I attended a program in Seattle. So in Seattle, most of the colleagues I met were MVPs. And the question was like, why don't we nominate Frederick? So then they really nominated me to be an MVP, that was way in March. And when I returned back home in April, I really applied and submitted in May. And in July, I was really approved as an MVP in Microsoft 365 and Copilot, which I really am glad of, yeah.

00:19:10 Mark Smith
So good. Frederick, it's been great talking to you. Thank you so much for coming on and telling your story.

00:19:16 Frederick Anaafi
Thank you. Thank you, Mark.

00:19:23 Mark Smith
Hey, thanks for listening. I'm your host, Business Application MVP Mark Smith, otherwise known as the nz365guy. If you like the show and want to be a supporter, check out buymeacoffee.com\nz365guy. Thanks again and see you next time.