Two corporates and an academic institution have joined forces to develop a talent pipeline for artificial intelligence (AI) in South Africa.

The Vodacom AI Lab is a collaboration between local telecoms giant Vodacom, cloud computing platform Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the University of Johannesburg, according to a report in Engineering News.

Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub said the AI Lab would give postgraduate research students access to real-world industry projects and practical AI experience.

It would also foster collaboration between academics and the business sector to solve real-world business challenges.

‘Becoming an AI-first organisation is […] about much more than adopting new technology. It’s about investing in the people who will build the partnerships that will strengthen it, and the innovation ecosystem that will ensure Africa remains globally competitive for generations to come,’ Joosub said.

‘We believe this partnership can become a blueprint for AI capability development across Africa, helping to create a sustainable pipeline of AI talent while strengthening collaboration between universities, industry and technology partners across the continent,’ he said.

28 July 2026
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