By Mulalo Luvhimbi
Two University of Johannesburg (UJ) students will join President Cyril Ramaphosa’s delegation to Silicon Valley in the United States next week as South Africa seeks to strengthen its AI capabilities.
Donnell Naidoo, who is studying towards an Advanced Diploma in Business Information Technology, and Mufhumudzi Muthivhi, a PhD candidate in Computer Science, have been selected for the South African Presidential AI Student Cohort.
The visit, scheduled for 15 to 20 November, will bring together students, academics, government officials and business representatives to explore opportunities in AI research, skills development and investment.
The students will be accompanied by Professor Tankiso Moloi, Executive Dean of UJ’s College of Business and Economics, who said South Africa needed to become an active participant in the rapidly developing technology sector.
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“Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the global economic landscape, and South Africa cannot afford to remain on the periphery of this transformation,” Moloi said.
Ramaphosa first announced plans for the visit during an engagement with journalists and editors in Sandton on 19 October, ahead of the local government elections.
The president said he wanted South African representatives to engage directly with leading AI developers to better understand the technology and identify opportunities for the country.
Ramaphosa said the purpose was to understand how AI functions and “how we can utilise it to our own benefit”.
Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau told SABC last week that the visit formed part of South Africa’s broader industrial development strategy, which identifies digitalisation as a priority.
Tau said the delegation would participate in business engagements and explore how developments in the technology sector could inform South Africa’s investment decisions and economic growth.
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According to UJ, the itinerary includes engagements at Stanford Graduate School of Business and facilities associated with Google, Alphabet and Google DeepMind.
Participants are expected to meet technology companies, researchers, venture capitalists and academic institutions to examine advances in AI, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies.
The delegation will also investigate how AI could contribute to job creation, education, public sector reform and business development.
Moloi said universities had a responsibility to contribute to AI research and innovation rather than simply prepare graduates to use technologies developed elsewhere.
He said that African institutions should play a greater role in developing new technologies and converting research into economic opportunities.
