The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) and information and communications technology (ICT) group Huawei have partnered to accelerate South Africa’s ICT development ambitions.
The agreement was signed by DCDT acting director-general Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani and Huawei South Africa CEO Will Meng on the sidelines of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South African bloc of countries (Brics) Ministers of Communications meeting.
The agreement will see Huawei play an advisory and practical role in assisting South Africa reach its goals in respect of the Brics ICT Development Agenda and Action Plan (DAAP), which forms the basis of the agreement, as well as the country’s own National Development Plan 2030.
Huawei will share global best practices of the planning of digital economy policies and technology rollout, support the DCDT in its broadband infrastructure development programme and provide practical assistance to small, medium-sized and microenterprises in South Africa to build technical capacity, particularly on fibre broadband deployment.
Part of the agreement is skills development, which Huawei is already undertaking through its existing programmes, including Seeds for the Future, 4IR Talent Development and its ICT academies.
“Huawei is committed to the youth of South Africa and the development of specific skills training that complements academic learning. It is important to equip young people to join the digital economy and to be employment-ready, and our courses and programmes provide them with that opportunity,” said Meng in a statement post the agreement signing.
Underpinning the partnership is the collaboration between DCDT and Huawei on innovation, the exploration of new ICT technologies and how they can be applied to drive the digital economy forward.