Huawei South Africa, the global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, has entered into a strategic partnership with the National School of Government (NSG) aimed at strengthening digital skills within the country’s public sector and accelerating government’s digital transformation agenda.
The two organisations this week signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see Huawei support the NSG in expanding its digital learning offering through the integration of selected Huawei technology courses into the NSG’s U-Learning ecosystem.
Priority technology areas
The partnership will focus on priority technology areas that are increasingly critical to public administration. These include artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, data storage and digital government solutions. The objective is to ensure that public servants are equipped with practical, future-ready skills aligned to South Africa’s evolving digital landscape.
Acting Principal of the NSG, Phindile Mkwanazi, said the agreement supports the institution’s mandate to build relevant and forward-looking capabilities within the public service.
“As the primary provider of training and educational material for government employees, the [NSG] continues to expand its learning pathways to reflect emerging technologies,” Mkwanazi said.
“This partnership will give public servants access to curated courses on key digital technologies and global best practices. Thus helping to strengthen digital competencies across the state.”
Adapt to rapidly changing tech world
The collaboration is expected to play a role in accelerating digital transformation within government. To promote continuous professional development and improve the capacity of public sector employees to operate effectively in a rapidly changing technological environment.
Huawei South Africa’s Director of Enterprise Marketing and Solutions, York Ning, elaborated on the project. The partnership reflects the company’s long-term commitment to developing South Africa’s digital talent pipeline, said Ning.
“Digital government depends on people as much as it depends on infrastructure,” Ning said. “By working with the NSG, we aim to help thousands of public servants build confidence in using AI, cloud and cybersecurity tools in their daily work.”
Ning added that the collaboration brings together Huawei’s global technology expertise and the NSG’s deep understanding of public service realities.
“Our goal is to make digital skills a core part of every public servant’s professional development journey.”
He said the partners would jointly develop learning paths that respond directly to the needs of public administration. From securing critical data to designing citizen-centric digital services.
Contributing to a future-ready state
“This is about practical impact and building a more capable, responsive and future-ready state,” Ning said.
The NSG said the MoU builds on its strategy of forging local and international partnerships. This aims to diversify its programmes and remain responsive to the needs of the public sector.
“Our collaboration with Huawei provides an opportunity to empower public sector employees. For them to embrace digital transformation and drive positive change in governance and service delivery,” Mkwanazi said.
Both organisations believe the partnership comes at a critical time. This as governments globally adapt to the opportunities and challenges presented by rapid technological change. Particularly in the era of AI-driven public services.
