Lucas Xia, director of enterprise partner development and management at Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa.
Huawei, together with partners CoCre8 Technology Solutions, Gijima, Altron and BCX, launched a Partner Joint Industry Solution at Huawei <a href="https://absafricatv9491.live-website.com/locals-first-push-leaves-south-africa-scrambling-for-labour/" title="‘Locals first’ push leaves South Africa scrambling for labour”>South Africa Connect 2026 in Sandton.
Huawei said its local partner ecosystem includes more than 1,400 South African companies, accounting for 94.7% of local revenue and more than 90% of delivery and service work.
Industry analysts note that vendor-led partner ecosystems are becoming increasingly important in South Africa, as enterprises look to integrate cloud, AI and data solutions while managing costs and skills shortages.
Lucas Xia, director of enterprise partner development and management at Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa, said the network is delivering solutions across industries, including a digital twin project with BCX, smart retail with Altron, connected healthcare with Gijima and paperless government solutions with CoCre8.
“We have been providing three types of support: innovation, capability and opportunity, to grow together with more than 1,400 partners,” Xia said.
Will Meng, CEO of Huawei South Africa, referenced the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, where South Africa joined as a founding member of the World AI Cooperation Organisation.
He outlined a three-stage path to AI readiness: informatisation builds connectivity, digitalisation enables data use, and intelligence creates new economic value.
Meng said large-scale deployment of AI depends on strong digital infrastructure, including networks, data and industry digitalisation.
Local industry experts have previously pointed out that while AI adoption is accelerating, challenges remain around data governance, skills development and regulatory clarity in South Africa.
Nicholas Ma, corporate vice president and president of global government and enterprise key accounts at Huawei, introduced the company’s ACT framework for scaling AI adoption beyond pilot projects.
ACT evaluates high-value use cases before organisations train AI models on industry data.
Huawei said the approach has identified more than 1,000 production scenarios globally and supported a developer ecosystem of more than four million participants.
Analysts say frameworks such as ACT reflect a broader shift among global technology vendors towards providing structured pathways for enterprise AI adoption, particularly in emerging markets.
According to Huawei, the collaboration reflects its commitment to working with South African partners to co-create industry solutions combining global ICT capabilities with local expertise.
Huawei has applied this model in markets including France, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.
South Africa is expected to serve as a pilot market for expanding the model across Africa, where Huawei plans to work with local partners to develop industry-focused solutions and explore regional opportunities.
BusinessHuawei South AfricaDigital transformationArtificial IntelligenceAIICT SolutionsBCXAltronGijimaAI adoptionDigital infrastructureHuawei ConnectData governanceSkills development
