Huawei South Africa has completed the sixth edition of its Women in Tech Digital Skills Training Programme, providing a cohort of 50 women with three days of practical exposure to AI, cloud computing, 5G-Advanced and emerging technologies, as well as leadership.

The Women in Tech Digital Skills Training Programme 2026 is a fully funded three-day immersive programme helping 50 businesswomen and public-sector leaders apply AI and emerging technologies to their businesses. More than 350 women have taken part in the yearly programme since 2021.

“Technology has value because of what people can do with it. Innovation becomes meaningful when it creates opportunities, strengthens businesses and enables more people to participate in the economic possibilities technology creates. “We want women entrepreneurs to be firmly part of that future,” said Huawei South Africa deputy CEO Charles Cheng.

A digital economy that includes women is stronger, more innovative, more competitive and more resilient, added Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) director- general Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani.

“An AI economy that excludes women will not reach its potential. That potential sits right here. Women must be recognised as the future leaders, the innovators and the creators.”

Huawei South Africa COO Christina Naidoo explained that AI is accelerating what is possible, with small businesses able to leverage AI to understand customers better, improve marketing, analyse information faster, forecast demand or automate work that once took hours.



Held from August 26 to 28, under the theme ‘HERabytes: Small Business. Big Intelligence,’ the 2026 edition provided two days of technical training and demonstrations at Huawei Johannesburg, followed by leadership development at Henley Business School Africa. Participants included women business owners and government leaders from the DCDT, the Department of Employment and Labour and the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.

The programme focused on helping participants understand AI and how it can be deployed to solve business challenges, improve productivity and create new opportunities, as well as 5G-Advanced and cloud and their practical applications for small and medium-sized enterprises.

On the final day at Henley Business School Africa, participants explored what leaders can do with the technology available to them.

Framed as “Women in Technology: Cloud and AI,” the session, led by Henley Business School Africa executive fellow Louise Claassen, combined hands-on exercises with interactive discussions about leadership.

Participants were introduced to blockchain, the Internet of Things, drones, geospatial mapping, satellite imagery, digital twins, extended reality and cloud.

“Businesses need to move quickly with AI while also putting the right guardrails in place to use it safely. “There are two sides to this: understanding what AI can make possible and being clear about the risks and responsibilities that come with it, because to excuse yourself from the conversation is not going to help at all,” Claassen continued.



Over the three days, the sessions gave attendees a chance to put what they learned into practice and consider how they could use the technology in their own businesses.

“Our goal and vision are to reduce the digital gender divide and also encourage a digital-first mindset for entrepreneurs. “As we close off this year’s Women’s Month, we are excited about what the future holds,” concluded Huawei media and communications senior PR manager Vanashree Govender.