President Ramaphosa Opens the Huawei Innovation Centre in South Africa
On Thursday, July 13, 2023, President Cyril Ramaphosa formally launched the Huawei Innovation Center in South Africa.
He was accompanied by Kan Chen, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Huawei South Africa, Leo Chen, President of Huawei #SubSaharanAfrica, Will Meng, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei South Africa, Xiaodong Chen, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to South Africa, and others.
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The Huawei Innovation Centre in South Africa
The Huawei Innovation Center promotes and supports collaborations between SMMEs, app developers, and Huawei’s South African partners in the ICT industry.
It also serves as a showcase for Huawei’s newest and most creative digital products and services.
Leading worldwide provider of ICT and smart products, Huawei Technologies has been doing business in South Africa since 1998.
In the #telecommunications, #enterprise, #consumer, #cloud, and #digital power markets, Huawei has established itself as a reliable partner and brand over a period of more than two decades.
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Speech by President Ramaphosa
President Ramaphosa remarked in a statement following the ribbon-cutting event and a tour of the facility that the Innovation Center’s solutions and the ICT expertise displayed by Huawei staff members were “impressive and encouraging.”
Initiatives like the Innovation Center, according to him, are entirely in keeping with the South African government’s strategy of emphasizing digital technology for economic growth.
He added that this Innovation Center will serve as a launching pad for the establishment of fresh regional ICT businesses that generate employment. “We hope it will serve as a launchpad for new business practices that strengthen our economy and advance our goals for the country’s development.”
The significance of ICT technology in assisting various industries in starting their digital transformation was also recognised by President Ramaphosa.
“A wide range of economic sectors, from mining to ports to transportation and others, are using digital technologies to improve production processes,” he stated. “Last year, for instance, the first 5G coal mine was established in South Africa thanks to a collaboration between Huawei and its telecom and business partners.
This facility demonstrates Huawei’s belief in the potential of the South African economy.
The president said that in order to promote the growth of the digital economy, the South African government has concentrated on a number of structural changes.
In addition to digital migration, the efforts we have done, he said, “include the auction of high-demand spectrum that took place last year, which will greatly increase access to the internet and lower data costs. Digital migration describes the termination of analog broadcast transmissions and the transition to all-digital broadcasting in South Africa.
The president stated his expectation that the Innovation Centre will put a strong emphasis on SMME growth as well as knowledge and talent transfer.
He applauded Huawei for its efforts to develop local digital talent through its LEAP digital talent program, ICT academies, and other initiatives and Tech4All-DigiSchool projects.
