by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – THE Japanese telecommunications holding company, NTT, has made a stronger commitment to its African investment strategy.
This comes as more global tech heavyweights make significant investment into the continent’s technology sector, which is projected to continue driving exponential economic growth.
NTT, full name Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, is the parent company of South African-based Dimension Data.
Alan Turnley-Jones, Dimension Data’s Chief Executive Officer, said one of the most exciting aspects of the collaboration with NTT is their ability to leverage the backing of a global organisation for research and development (R&D).
They invest an annual average of US$3,5 billion in their R&D division to keep up with the latest tech trends to accelerate the depth of the solutions offered to customers in Africa.
Turnley-Jones believes sustained international investment means that service providers are now able to provide solutions that are increasingly cutting edge and seamless.
“Consumers get a world-class interconnected experience. For new talent, this means they now have the opportunity to become part of a much bigger and global organisation,” Turnley-Jones said.
“No longer is it a case of local talent cutting their teeth in local businesses, but rather local talent who are gaining global experience right off the bat – and this is what our country needs more of.”
NTT’s South African Global Service Hub recently went live. About 1 000 employees have been transitioned into the NTT global services team.
South Africa is increasingly becoming an innovation hub.
According to the State of the IT Sector in South Africa Report 2023, the total telecommunications investment increased by 17,16 percent from R33,9 billion (US$1,8 billion) in 2021 to R39,7 billion in 2022.
“The question beyond the number is about how this is driving much needed green shoots in the economy, and with this the very real opportunities for people working in this market,” Turnley-Jones said.
– CAJ News