Huawei South Africa has recently launched an Innovation Centre with the purpose of collaborative innovation among its local partners, app developers, and SMMEs (small, medium, and micro enterprises) in the ICT industry. The Innovation Centre serves as a platform to showcase Huawei’s latest digital technologies and solutions, such as 5G, Cloud, and AI, while encouraging joint innovation in the South African market.

Speaking after the ribbon-cutting ceremony and a tour of the facility, President Ramaphosa said both the solutions at the Innovation Centre and the ICT knowledge on display by Huawei employees were, “impressive and encouraging.”

He said that initiatives like the Innovation Centre are firmly in line with the South African government’s policy of emphasising digital technologies for economic development.

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

President Ramaphosa also acknowledged the role of ICT technologies in helping various industries to embark on digital transformation.

“The application of digital technologies to improve production processes spans a broad range of economic sectors from mining to ports to transportation and others,” he said. “Last year, for example, the first 5G coal mine was launched in South Africa through a partnership with Huawei, partnership between Huawei, and its industry and telecom partners. This centre is a signal of Huawei’s confidence in the South African economy and its potential.”

The president also said the South African government has focused on several structural reforms to stimulate the development of the digital economy.

“The actions we have taken include the auction of the high-demand spectrum that took place last year, which – alongside digital migration – will significantly expand access to broadband and bring down data costs,” he said. Digital migration refers to South Africa’s shut off of analogue broadcast signals and migration to all-digital.

Leo Chen, President of Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa said: “We’ve been encouraged by the South African government’s strong vision for its digital economy. South Africa is becoming a role model for the continent, as well as on the global stage, in fields such as 5G deployment and 5G-driven industrial digital transformation.