Theme: “Quality Leads, Future Wins"

Programme Director: Ms Tsai Lou Lin

CEO: Huawei Technologies South Africa: Mr Meng Wei (Will Meng)

Senior VP, Global Procurement, Huawei: Mr Lubaoqiang (Leo Lu)

Vice President, Delivery & Service Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa: Mr Li Daweli

Vice President, Delivery, Service & Software, Huawei Technologies SA: Mr Li Ang

Board member Huawei Technologies SA: Mr Li Zhuoheng CFO Huawei South Africa: Mr Liu Zhili (Leo Liu) Suppliers and Sub Contractors of Huawei

The Huawei Technologies SA Leadership and Directors present

Leaders of Industry,

Esteemed suppliers and partners, Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a privilege to join you this morning as we gather under the theme “Quality Leads, Future Wins" a theme that resonates deeply with our national development aspirations. In South Africa, quality is not merely a technical requirement; it is an economic imperative. It is the foundation upon which we can transform local businesses, stimulate decent job creation, and build a digital economy that includes everyone.

As the Department of Employment and Labour, we welcome and appreciate Huawei's commitment to hosting a conference that brings together over 200 industry role-players and suppliers from across the country representing the engine room of inclusive economic growth.

Government remains steadfast in its commitment to expanding digital inclusion and ensuring that digital transformation becomes a bridge not a barrier for local businesses and communities. Digital technologies shape competitiveness, productivity, and global participation. For South Africa to leapfrog persistent development constraints, digital inclusion must reach townships, rural areas, informal traders, cooperatives, and community-based enterprises.

One of the most pressing issues facing our labour market is the mismatch between the skills we have and the skills the economy needs. As the Fourth Industrial Revolution accelerates, the demand for ICT capabilities has become urgent. Huawei's ongoing efforts to equip South African suppliers with digital skills demonstrate the kind of private- sector contribution that strengthens our national skills base.

I commend Huawei for its commitment to supplier transformation, training, and building South Africa's ICT talent pipeline.

These initiatives broaden participation of local suppliers, increase employment opportunities in the digital sector, and support the growth of black industrialists and SMMEs.

Digital platforms help small suppliers access larger clients. Data-driven tools improve business decisions. Automation frees labour for higher-value tasks. Digital financial services unlock opportunities for previously excluded groups. These technologies reshape how we work, trade, and interact with the economy.

Government has been clear about the centrality of local business especially SMMEs in achieving national development priorities. Local suppliers must seize the digital economy as a strategic opportunity and become drivers of innovation, creators of solutions, and leaders in digital ecosystems.

To the participants here today, the training and exposure you receive from Huawei is not merely for attendance it is for application.

Apply these digital skills to grow your enterprises, create jobs, improve service offerings, expand into new markets, and strengthen your communities.

Digital transformation is not only about technology it is about people, livelihoods, empowerment, and national progress. It is about dismantling old exclusion patterns and empowering South Africans to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Today's gathering represents the kind of partnership our country urgently needs, one that trains, transforms, empowers, and uplifts. When we lead with quality, the future indeed wins.

I thank you.​

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