Cloud service provider Amazon Web Services South Africa (AWS ZA) has attained Level 1 broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) status.
To achieve this, AWS ZA scored the maximum points for the enterprise development, supplier development and ownership elements of the scorecard upon first verification.
Contributing to its attainment of Level 1 status is AWS ZA’s other initiatives, which include funding for small business, the company’s Equity Equivalent Investment Programme and skills development programmes delivered through the AWS Academy and AWS Educate.
The AWS Academy programme is an introductory course that provides a detailed overview of cloud concepts, AWS core services, architecture, security and support. The course also prepares students to pursue an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification.
AWS ZA has also provided cloud skills development to youths from previously disadvantaged communities and townships, via the AWS eKasi programme, through which students complete an intensive one-year training course that provides a fundamental understanding of software development and cloud computing technologies.
AWS ZA director Prabashni Naidoo says the newly-accredited empowerment status is “a continuation of [AWS’s] commitment to support the transformation and economic development of South Africa”.
She adds that alongside the company’s enterprise and supplier development programmes, AWS’s cloud services will help “transform their operations and allow them to compete on a global scale”.