• The South African Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) and Huawei have signed a partnership agreement.
• The agreement was signed on the sidelines of last week’s BRICS Ministers of Communications Meeting.
• The partnership will see Huawei serve in an advisory role to assist the DCDT in reaching its ICT development goals.

Last week, the BRICS Ministers of Communications Meeting took place in Cape Town. At the event Huawei and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) signed a partnership agreement.

Acting DG Ms Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani signed on behalf of the Department of Communications, and Huawei was represented by CEO Will Meng (both pictured above).

It is understood that Huawei will take on an advisory, as well as practical role, in assisting the South African government reach its goals in respect of the BRICS ICT Development Agenda and Action Plan (DAAP). This is also said to form the basis of the agreement, as well as the country’s own National Development Plan 2030.

“Under the terms of the agreement, Huawei will share global best practices of the planning of digital economy policies and technology rollout,” the company explained in a press release sent to Hypertext.

“Huawei will also support the DCDT in its broadband infrastructure development programme at the same time as giving practical assistance to SMMEs in the country to build technical capacity especially on fibre broadband deployment,” it added.

While the company already has a number of skills development initiatives up and running locally, part of the agreement will also see Huawei assist when it comes to exploring new ICT technologies and ways to drive digital economy-focused projects.

An example of the later is the SA Connect programme, which seeks to connect 80 percent of South Africans to the internet over the next three years.

“We live in a digital and hyper-connected world where technology continues to improve people’s lives and makes work easier for many sectors of the economy,” highlighted the Department of Communications Deputy Minister Philly Mapulane, who spoke of the group’s objective at a BRICS B2B event during last week’s Meeting.

While there is no doubt plenty of work for both parties to do in order to meet said ICT development goals, it looks like Huawei is quite confident something of note will come to fruition.

“Both Huawei and the DCDT are optimistic about the future of the country’s digital transformation process and the agreement will greatly assist in ensuring that ICT technology drives the economy forward, taking every citizen with it,” the company’s release concluded.

[Image – Lerato Sepotokele/DCDT]