To make South Africa 4IR ready: Cisco to Pump in R140 million

Cisco Systems will inject 140 million worth Rand in South Africa to catalyze the development of next-gen technologies in the country. 

One of the ministers of the South African government, Stella Ndabeni- Abrahams unveiled the MoU at an event hosted by Brand SA on Thursday. At the event, business leaders across Africa meet and discussed the economy and ensure inclusive growth in the face of 4IR. 4IR technologies refer to AR, VR, analytics, robotics, and IoT.

Ms. Ndabeni- Abrahams spoke more about the importance of developing partnerships in the tech space during a keynote address. She dubbed herself as the commander of 4IR for South Africa.

She spoke to the Cisco leadership team last year at an event in Sandton. The South African government announced its goals for developing capabilities for 4IR technology. They also stressed on the development of an enabling environment for business people.

According to the MoU, it will emphasize on 4IR skills development, and will provide a plan for skills development to the cabinet, added Ms. Ndabeni- Abrahams. The investment will help the company to set up new incubation centers in the country. There are currently two incubators, one in Gauteng and another one in KwaZulu-Natal, she said. There will be also new jobs in the country.

Other than that, there will be new Cisco repair centers inside the county and boost the cybersecurity training process.