Huawei expands its LEAP initiative to train 150,000 talents in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2027, surpassing initial goals, promoting digital skills. (Image source: Huawei)

On 28 June, Huawei announced a new initiative to train an additional 150,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa over the next three years

This plan builds on the ICT leader's initial goal of equipping over 100,000 people in the region with digital skills by 2025. Huawei has already surpassed its initial target by 120%, training over 120,000 individuals in the past 26 months, ten months ahead of schedule. These announcements were made at the LEAP Summit 2024: ICT Talent and Sustainable Development for Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Huawei LEAP Summit 2024 took place on June 28th in Shanghai. LEAP stands for Leadership, Employability, Advancement, and Possibility. Co-hosted by Huawei and the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), the event is an official partner program of Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2024. The LEAP Summit 2024 brought together over 200 guests, including high-ranking ministers, ambassadors, and other government officials from various Sub-Saharan African nations.

There is a significant need to equip talent in Sub-Saharan Africa with digital skills. According to the World Economic Forum, over one billion people globally need to be upskilled or reskilled by 2030. Furthermore, the International Financial Corporation estimates that over 230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills by 2030.

In his opening address, Jeff Wang, senior vice-president and president of public affairs and communications at Huawei, outlined the company's inclusive, systematic, and future-oriented approach to talent development. He stated, "Huawei launched the LEAP Digital Talent Development Program in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2022. After more than two years of development, we are glad to see that so many people have benefited from it."

Hover Gao, president of Sub-Saharan Africa, Huawei, said, "We have made much positive progress in talent development across African countries, but this would not have been possible without the joint efforts of government agencies, academia, and industry."

John OMO, secretary general of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), emphasised a human-first approach to technology. He remarked, "Digital skills development and access to ICT is not about ICT, it's about people. It's about empowering people to participate sufficiently in the digital economy." OMO encouraged collective participation in upskilling to provide the youth with not only a future but also a present in which they can thrive.

The TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Initiative is a key pillar of Huawei's Corporate Sustainable Development strategies. During the summit, Joyce Liu, Director of TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Office at Huawei, shared the progress of TECH4ALL in Sub-Saharan Africa. She stated, "We must take a long-term perspective on how education can help shape a more inclusive and sustainable future, building connectivity for schools, improving capabilities for people and supporting STEM content development for digital upskilling and reskilling."

Huawei and its partners launched a series of activities for digital talent development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Steven Fan, the Director of Huawei's Training & Certification Department, unveiled the new Huawei Digital Intelligence Talent Development Program. This initiative includes free Huawei Certificate courses and exam vouchers for the Huawei ICT Academy and outstanding personnel.

Additionally, the Digital Badge program was announced, allowing students and teachers who have attended Huawei ICT Academy programs to display these certifications on their social media platforms and use them to unlock future employment opportunities.

Huawei launched its Leadership, Employability, Advancement, and Possibilities (LEAP) digital skills development program in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022. The program aims to foster strong digital leadership and a skilled ICT workforce, build a digital talent pool, and promote digital literacy among citizens. It includes a wide range of activities, from ICT training and certification courses to government digital capacity building and ICT skills competitions.

PAIX Data Centres expands Accra facility to 1.2 MW with a US$30M investment from Africa50, boosting connectivity and economic growth in Ghana. (Image source: Africa50)

PAIX Data Centres, a leading pan-African developer and operator of data centres, has announced the expansion of its facility in Accra to 1.2 MW 

This expansion represents a critical boost to the digital economy, supporting connectivity and economic growth in the region.

Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investor and asset manager, has invested over US$30mn in growth equity in PAIX Data Centres to aid the company's expansion into new markets and upgrade existing facilities.

The expanded PAIX data centre, now one of the largest in Ghana, will enable internet service providers (ISPs), cloud providers, and enterprises to leverage robust digital infrastructure and improved connectivity, facilitating the African business community's growth in the digital era. Currently, it is estimated that between 10% and 30% of effective data centre demand in sub-Saharan Africa is being met.

Unlocking Africa’s digital economy

Africa50, aiming to attract new and substantial pools of public and private capital, seeks to accelerate strategic investments in green data centres, transmission lines, smart cities, fibre optic networks, and more, to enhance African productivity.

The upgraded facility features state-of-the-art infrastructure and robust security measures, ensuring optimal performance and reliability for mission-critical applications and services. It also incorporates advanced cooling and waste management systems, alongside increased integration of renewable energy sources to improve environmental impact.

Strategically located in Accra, the data centre offers low latency connectivity to major regional and international network routes and subsea cables, thereby enhancing overall service efficiency and performance.

Africa50's investment in PAIX Data Centres forms part of a growing portfolio of digital infrastructure assets aimed at driving growth in Africa's digital economy:

In May, Africa50 and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) signed an Implementation Agreement (IA) to develop the Kigali Innovation City (KIC). This 61-hectare smart city is projected to generate US$150mn in ICT exports annually and attract over US$300mn in foreign direct investment. In 2023, Africa50 entered a US$320mn partnership with Bayobab to develop Project East2West, a terrestrial fibre optic cable network intended to improve internet access and connectivity across ten regions in East and West Africa.

Raza Hasnani, managing director, head of infrastructure at Africa50 and chairman of the Board of PAIX, noted, "We share a deep conviction that high quality, sustainable infrastructure transforms economies and societies. Our over US$30mn equity investment in PAIX Data Centres is part of our broader strategy to create the connectivity required to accelerate Africa's digital transformation. We are proud that PAIX Data Centres is expanding and adopting best in class sustainability practices."

Bright Tawiah, managing director, PAIX Data Centres, Ghana, said, "This expansion reaffirms our dedication to providing best-in-class data centre solutions to our customers in Accra and beyond. As one of Africa's digital economy hotspots, Accra plays a vital role in driving innovation and growth across various industries. We are proud to be at the forefront of this transformation, enabling businesses to thrive in today's increasingly connected world."

Ghana develops its national data strategy in collaboration with Smart Africa and Team Europe. (Image source: Smart Africa)

The Government of Ghana, in collaboration with the European Union and Smart Africa, has successfully concluded a National Validation Workshop to develop a National Data Strategy

This significant milestone is aligned with Ghana’s Long-term National Development Plan (2018-2057), the National Medium-term Development Policy Framework (2022-2025), and the country's vision for sustainable development.

The workshop aimed to bring together stakeholders in the data governance ecosystem to shape Ghana’s data-driven future. Its objective was to establish a comprehensive national data strategy that includes key elements such as data governance structure, legal and ethical considerations for data collection, usage, storage, and protection, as well as data infrastructure and capacity building.

“Data is a valuable asset across all sectors capable of driving economic growth when managed effectively. Developing a data strategy is crucial to achieving this goal, and we are proud to collaborate with our partners to establish this framework in Ghana and subsequently in other member countries,” commented Lacina Koné, Smart Africa CEO.

The two-day validation workshop involved stakeholders in Ghana’s data ecosystem who reviewed and validated the draft strategy document and provided inputs into the implementation roadmap for the data strategy, paving the way for the country’s data-driven future.

“This nation is well into the bold, deliberate initiatives to digitalise the economy, believing that deploying critical IT systems and technologies acquired will best maximise the use of data by unlocking its potential, promoting data sharing, analytics, and reuse for the general public good. With an increasing adoption of advanced technology in the management of data, the prioritisation of data governance is critical to the success of the digitisation effort,” declared Hon. Charles Acheampong, Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalisation of Ghana.

Commenting on the national data strategy, Patricia Adusei-Poku, executive director of data protection commission, Ghana said, “The Ghana Data Protection Commission has positioned itself as a regional trailblaser and a national forefront enabler of appropriate and authorised processing of quality data in a people-centric digitised ecosystem. The DPC has developed various data strategies to support Data Controllers and Subjects to encourage accountability from all stakeholders.”

Anna Lixi, head of governance and security at the European Union in Ghana, emphasised, “Decisions based on data can greatly improve people’s lives; data can uncover patterns and market trends, making it possible to address problems and leverage opportunities; business start-ups – including those led by Ghana’s young people – may greatly benefit from having access to the right data.”

“Data is the new oxygen of development. It is a powerful enabler for digital innovations, job creation, and enhancing the openness, effectiveness, and inclusiveness of the delivery of basic services to local communities. We congratulate the Government of Ghana and its partner, Smart Africa for developing the Ghana National Data Strategy – a real milestone for leveraging the power of data for sustainable development,” added David Robert, Program Manager, Digital Transformation Center, GIZ Ghana.

This initiative was made possible through collaboration between Smart Africa, the Government of Ghana, the African Union, the European Union, BMZ, GIZ, D4D Hub, and Global Gateway.

The Republic of Benin is undertaking a similar journey to develop its own National Data Strategy and, in addition to contributing to the validation workshop, conducted a peer learning exchange with their Ghanaian counterparts. This effort aligns with continental initiatives to harmonise data policies, spearheaded by the African Union Commission through the Continental Data Policy Framework.