Telkom launching new R100 million AI Institute
Telkom has pledged R100 million to create the Telkom AI Institute, which aims to equip South Africans with artificial intelligence and digital skills.
The partially state-owned company said that the investment will foster local innovation and accelerate inclusive participation in the digital economy.
The pledge was announced in Geneva as part of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition.
The coalition has surpassed $82 billion in global commitments to connect the world, with Telkom among the few African companies recognised in the recent round of pledges.
Telkom said the nation’s digital divide is not simply a question of network coverage, as AI is reshaping economies faster than most skills can keep pace.
It said that a second, hard-to-close gap will emerge, a digital divide where everyone is connected but only a few know how to use digital connections to build a livelihood.
“Connectivity without capability only gets South Africa halfway there,” said Serame Taukobong, Group CEO, Telkom.
“We have spent years building the networks that connect this country. The Telkom AI Institute is our commitment to ensuring that connectivity translates into skills, jobs and opportunity.”
The institute will focus on practical, job-ready AI and digital skills training, with a focus on reaching young people, small businesses, and communities currently underserved in South Africa’s digital economy.
The pledge also forms part of Telkom’s broader Vision 2030 ambition, which looks to move beyond an infrastructure provider to becoming an active builder of the country’s skills base.
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