ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE27 JUL 2026AI set to unlock trillions for SAHuawei South Africa’s Kui Zheng predicts AI could contribute up to R1.4 trillion to the country’s economy and create…Brian Sokutu4 min read

This, as SA faces a shortfall of around 200 000 AI and ICT professionals by 2030 As artificial intelligence’s (AI) economic impact has come into sharp focus, Kui Zheng, deputy general manager of Huawei South Africa, has predicted that AI could contribute between R1 trillion and R1.4 trillion to the country’s economy by the end of the decade. Addressing Huawei’s flagship South Africa Connect 2026, which brought together 2 900 leaders from government and industry – examining how AI and intelligent digital infrastructure can help South African organisations adopt AI at scale – Zheng said AI could create up to 400 000 new jobs. Deployments, he said, were already underway locally, including a rail security system that has cut cable theft by 80%.

Zheng maintained that the future of AI “won’t be built by one company, even Huawei”. “It will be built by an open ecosystem of partners, developers and customers – creating value together,” said Zheng. Highlighting the challenges rendering the country to lag behind, Zheng said fewer than 35% of South African enterprises have identified where AI unlocked value in their own data. This, as SA faces a shortfall of around 200 000 AI and ICT professionals by 2030.