At the GovTech 2026 conference, which marked the 20th anniversary of the union of public sector structures and the technology sector, Huawei presented its vision for the development of an intelligent government. The event, organized by the State IT Agency (Sita), tracked the evolution of government technologies since 2006, covering areas such as infrastructure, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and general digital services. For Huawei, this anniversary provided an opportunity to examine prospects for transforming these digital foundations into intelligent solutions for the South African public sector.
Matamela Mashau, Technical Director for Enterprise Network Solutions at Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa, noted that artificial intelligence can improve public services by automating routine tasks and supporting faster, data-driven decision-making. He also emphasized that the necessary infrastructure to handle such loads is a key element in implementing these applications.
Digital Infrastructure for Improving Public Services
The central theme of GovTech 2026 was the digital future of South Africa. Communications Minister Sulli Malatsi stated that South Africa has the chance to become a 'strategic alternative global communication hub and digital gateway' between Africa, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. For Huawei, this means supporting the digital infrastructure required by the government to provide higher quality services. The company's participation in GovTech focused on how connectivity, cloud technologies, and AI can help the government transition from connected to digital, and then to intelligent governance.
A Unified Service for Every Citizen
On the first day of the event, Pan Lu, Director of Data Center Solutions Sales at Huawei South Africa, participated in a panel on public services, cloud technologies, and connectivity. He discussed the value of a unified public service platform and how it will allow citizens to access public services via phone or laptop, regardless of whether they live in a major city or in a rural area. Furthermore, Lu explained how common government platforms can increase departmental efficiency, for example, by using a shared platform instead of maintaining separate systems.
Lu stated: 'Citizens need one platform to access public services, while departments need the ability to exchange data necessary to provide those services.' He added that one of the most important steps before GovTech 2027 is the implementation of these common platforms in the local government cloud.
Artificial Intelligence Enhancing Public Services
On the second day, Mashau delivered a keynote speech on the necessary infrastructure to run AI workloads in the public sector and how AI can be applied across various government services. Mashau noted that AI can free up civil servants from routine administrative work and process requests in hours rather than weeks. His presentation also highlighted the practical application of AI in education, meteorology, and healthcare, including lesson planning, weather forecasting, diagnosis, and drug discovery.
Mashau also presented Huawei's five-level AI structure, covering energy, chips, infrastructure, models, and applications. He reported that Huawei can help the government create a national AI data center that complies with South African legislation and supports data sovereignty.
Co-building Capabilities
On the final day, a panel discussion focused on common cloud services for government. Sifive Matore, Business Development Manager for the Public Sector at Huawei Cloud South Africa, along with representatives from Sita, the Department of Agriculture, and the eThekwini municipality, participated in the discussion. The panelists examined the ecosystem of the South African private government cloud and the practical role that common platforms can play in reducing functional duplication between departments. Great attention was also paid to skills development and governance.
Matore emphasized: 'The private government cloud ecosystem can provide a secure foundation for common digital services across all areas of governance.' He added that Huawei shares global experience and lessons to support Sita and public sector stakeholders as this ecosystem develops.
Reference Architecture for Inclusive AI
At the Huawei exhibition booth, the company demonstrated its AI Reference Architecture for inclusive South African government. This architecture is designed to assist the government in creating and securely deploying AI capabilities. It integrates local computing, national foundational models, industry applications, talent development, and ecosystem partnerships, with industry AI platforms supporting more specific government operations.
Huawei and its partners have jointly launched solutions in eight industries, covering over 20 scenarios of common AI agents that can be adapted for local use. As GovTech enters its third decade, Huawei reaffirms its commitment to long-term collaboration with Sita and other public sector stakeholders, guided by its 'AI for All' vision: creating common digital services that bring real benefit to citizens.