More than 2 900 leaders from government and industry gathered for Huawei South Africa Connect 2026 to explore what it will take for South African organisations to move AI beyond isolated pilots and into adoption at scale. Will Meng, CEO of Huawei South Africa, opened his keynote by reflecting on the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, where South Africa joined as a founding member of the new World AI Cooperation Organisation. Kui Zheng, deputy general manager of Huawei South Africa, said AI could contribute between R1-trillion and R1.4-trillion to South Africa’s economy by the end of the decade and create up to 400 000 new jobs. Rooted in South Africa, empowering South Africa,” said Xia. Huawei has operated in South Africa for 27 years under the ethos “In South Africa, for South Africa”, investing in ICT infrastructure to support the country’s digital economy.