Strategy announced at the eighth annual Huawei Connect event in Shanghai whose focus is on AI
Terry HE, President of Huawei Northern Africa (North, West & Central Africa) launched a new strategy for North Africa called Accelerate Intelligence for New Africa. He described it as “a comprehensive blueprint for Africa’s digital and technological future”.
He said some 60% of Africa’s population is aged 25 or younger, and digitalisation is a major catalyst for growth in African nations as well as having great potential to leverage green energy which is a competitive advantage in the AI era.
Hence Huawei’s strategy is built around the integration of smart technologies, particularly AI, into sectors such as health, education, transport, finance, agriculture and mining.
It envisages three core action areas where AI can be leveraged:
- to improve inclusion, by expanding the coverage and quality of essential services;
- to enable better governmental management and make the business and commercial environment more attractive; and
- to heighten operational efficiency and productivity across the economy, particularly in Africa’s key industries.
Investment fund
HE unveiled a five-year, $430 million investment plan, Intelligent Future, to put these goals into practice in Northern Africa region – defined as the 28 countries north of the equator within Africa.
HE said $200 million will establish the region’s first public cloud centre, offering more than 200 cloud services. An additional $200 million is to support 200 local software partners and empower 1,300 channel partners. Huawei will invest $30 million to train 10,000 local developers and educate 100,000 digital professionals, creating a skilled workforce to drive intelligent transformation in the region.
Big, tough challenges
HE noted that the challenges are huge and the stakes high, saying, “Every technological evolution is characterised by perseverance, exploration, and investment. To expedite intelligent transformation in Northern Africa, Huawei will intensify its investments in technologies, ecosystems, and talent.”
He stressed the critical importance of close collaboration between governments, businesses, educational institutions, and communities to realise these ambitions. The press statement read: “For Huawei, Africa represents a pivotal element of the company’s growth ambitions, underscoring its unwavering commitment to the continent’s digital transformation.”