FINAL WORD
need to educate and reskill themselves
so that they are not displaced by
digital transformation. As such,
there should be a disproportionate
increase in productivity, safer working
conditions and the creation of more
high-value jobs.
With an estimated shortage of more
than a quarter of a million networking
professionals in Africa, programmes
such as the Cisco Networking
Academy (NetAcad) are critical to the
future employability of young people.
In collaboration with governments,
schools, NGOs, colleges and
universities, the programme provides
students the opportunity to become
IT networking professionals.
Workers need
to educate and
reskill themselves
so that they are
not displaced
by digital
transformation
A global programme that was
established in South Africa over 20
years ago at the University of Pretoria,
NetAcad has grown to the point where
in excess of 8,500 students are trained
annually. To date, the programme
has seen more than 92,000 students
graduate in South Africa. Across the
continent, Cisco NetAcad has seen
in-kind contributions of more than
US$21.86 million toward the future
job prospects for graduates.
Time to digitally
empower South Africa
Beyond skills development, supporting
the information, technology and
o c . i c t n e g i l e t n i .
communications (ICT) sectors
provides a major boost to economic
growth, productivity and employment.
In doing so, South Africans’ access to
educational opportunities and health
resources can also be improved. For
example, according to the National
Treasury, if ICT costs are reduced
by 50%, South Africa’s GDP can be
increased by 0.3% per year, creating
over 200,000 additional jobs over
the next decade. This is particularly
important for the country’s young
people, where unemployment is
currently at 43% among 18 to
29-year-olds.
Part of supporting South Africa’s ICT
sectors is ensuring that R&D public-
private partnerships remain integral
to socio-economic development.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a
R2 billion telescope that is the next
iteration of the MeerKAT telescope,
demonstrates the potential for such
collaboration. Together with eight
African partners, South Africa won the
bid to host the SKA, a project that will
have extensive socio-economic knock-
on effects.
Working with the Department of
Science and Technology, Cisco
contributed R66 million toward SKA,
an investment that will support job
creation and economic diversification
in the Northern Cape, as well as
promoting science as a career
choice and ensuring the telescope is
constructed with 75% local content.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
is synonymous with exponential
growth in digitisation and Internet
connectivity. It has the potential to
springboard Africa forward like never
before, enabling innovation, spurring
new business models and improving
the delivery of public services. But
this will only happen if governments
and the private sector work together
to ensure that a shared and trusted
digital environment is created to drive
more inclusive, economic development
and social progress.
For South Africa, Cisco firmly
supports its aspirations to be a
digitally enabled economy and
society, and welcomes more
integrated and comprehensive
collaboration from multiple
stakeholders to help accelerate the
opportunities at hand.
About
Cisco
Cisco is the worldwide
leader in IT that helps
companies seize the
opportunities of tomorrow
by proving that amazing
things can happen when
you connect the previously
unconnected. At Cisco
customers come first and
an integral part of our DNA
is creating long-lasting
customer partnerships
and working with them to
identify their needs and
provide solutions that
support their success.
Cisco has shaped the
future of the Internet by
creating unprecedented
value and opportunity
for customers, employees,
investors and ecosystem
partners and has
become the worldwide
leader in networking –
transforming how people
connect, communicate
and collaborate.
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