President welcomes Huawei plans to invest in African data centres and cyber security industries

The President, who toured the centre in the morning, said what he saw and heard, is both impressive and encouraging.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has commended Huawei for the work it is doing to cultivate local digital talent through the Learned, Engaged, Accelerated Professionals (LEAP) Programme, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) academies and DigiSchool projects.

The President was speaking at the launch of the Huawei South Africa Innovation Centre held at the Huawei Office Park in Woodmead, Sandton, on Thursday.

The Huawei Innovation Centre serves to foster and encourage joint innovations with Huawei’s South African partners, app developers and Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) in the ICT space.

The centre is also a showcase of Huawei’s latest and most innovative digital technologies and solutions.

The President, who toured the centre in the morning, said what he saw and heard, is both impressive and encouraging.

“This centre brings together Huawei’s different business units in a collaboration hub with local partners, app developers and ICT-focused SMMEs. For South Africa, expanding digital infrastructure is one of the primary engines of economic growth [and] the development of information technology is key to the competitiveness of our economy,” President Ramaphosa said.

The President also welcomed Huawei plans to invest substantially in data centres and cyber security industries in Africa.

By adopting the range of cutting-edge technologies being pioneered by companies such as Huawei, he said, South Africa and the continent will be able to leapfrog into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

“It is our hope that this Innovation Centre will be a springboard for the launch of new local ICT enterprises that create jobs. We hope it will be a springboard to new business processes that grow our economy and support our national developmental goals,” President Ramaphosa said.

Digital innovation inextricably linked to nation’s development

President Ramaphosa also noted that not only can new digital technologies such as AI, Big Data and machine learning provide a platform for economic growth, job creation and self-employment; they can also vastly improve government service delivery.

“The application of digital technologies to improve production processes spans a broad range of economic sectors from mining to ports to transportation and others. Last year, for example, the first 5G coal mine was launched in South Africa through a partnership with Huawei, its carrier and industry partners. 

“This centre is a signal of Huawei’s confidence in the South African economy and its potential. The digital technology and business services sectors are key pillars of South Africa’s investment strategy,” President Ramaphosa said.

To stimulate investment in these sectors, the President said, government has focused on several structural reforms.

He said the actions taken include the auction of high-demand spectrum that took place last year, which – alongside digital migration “will significantly expand access to broadband and bring down data costs.”

Other priorities include the development of an ICT and Digital Economy Masterplan and National Data and Cloud Policy.

The President noted that South Africa has a robust and sophisticated ICT sector with expertise in data centres, including cloud computing and storage, and rapidly expanding wireless and fibre infrastructure.

The country also has strong regulatory frameworks around cybersecurity, intellectual property, and the protection of personal information, amongst others.

“According to the 2023 State of the ICT Sector in South Africa, published by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the sector’s revenue continues to increase by approximately R25.5 billion over a five-year period. This makes the ICT sector one of our most attractive industries for investment, with substantial growth potential,” the President highlighted.

As we grow the digital economy, he said, it is our expectation that this growth in revenue should be matched by an increase in the number of jobs the sector creates.

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)