Huawei South Africa has launched the sixth edition of its Women in Tech Digital Skills Development Programme.
Themed HERabytes: Small business. Big Intelligence – it signals a sharp focus on equipping women entrepreneurs with the tools to harness AI for real-world impact.
The programme puts that ambition into practice, with three days of hands-on training focused on the AI and digital tools women can apply in their businesses.
Deputy CEO of Huawei South Africa, Charlesa Cheng said that technology has value because of what people can do with it.
“Innovation becomes meaningful when it creates opportunity, strengthens businesses and enables more people to participate in the economic possibilities technology creates. We want women entrepreneurs to be firmly part of that future.”
Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani, Director-General of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, said participation means connecting people and ensuring they can turn technology into opportunities.
“An AI economy that excludes women will not reach its potential. That potential sits right here. A digital economy that includes women is stronger, more innovative, more competitive and more resilient. Women must be recognised as the future leaders, the innovators and the creators.”
Christina Naidoo, Chief Operations Officer of Huawei South Africa, said a small business can use AI to understand customers better, improve marketing, analyse information faster, forecast demand or automate work that once took hours.
“For South African women entrepreneurs, this is a rare opportunity. We do not have to arrive at the end of this technology wave and spend years catching up. We can be part of shaping it from the start,” Naidoo said.
Through initiatives such as the Huawei ICT Academy and Graduate Programme, Huawei continues to build South Africa’s digital talent pipeline.
More than 350 graduates have come through the Graduate Programme since 2017, alongside its global commitment to helping millions of women build digital skills. The programme also recognises that building a stronger digital future means developing confidence and leadership, and the ability to adapt as technology changes.
“AI can help us work faster,” said Jacques le Roux, COO of Henley Business School Africa.
“It can help us see patterns that we might otherwise miss. It can offer options, automate routine work and open doors that were previously closed. But AI cannot decide who we want to be as leaders. It cannot choose our values. It cannot take responsibility for our actions.”
Throughout this programme, women running small businesses will learn how to use AI and other digital technologies for growth. Sessions also cover 5G-Advanced and cloud computing, followed by leadership development at Henley Business School Africa on 28 August.
