As South Africa looks to modernise its public services and close digital gaps in health, education, governance, and safety, Huawei used the platform of the 2025 Public Service Forum – held during Huawei South Africa Connect in Johannesburg – to highlight how intelligent technologies are reshaping service delivery and improving lives.

Held under the theme “Accelerating Public Service Intelligence”, the forum brought together government officials, public sector representatives, and technology experts to explore how digital platforms, AI, and data-driven tools can solve entrenched service challenges and build more inclusive, responsive institutions.

“South Africa stands at a pivotal moment in its digital transformation journey,” said Gomez Gu, Managing Director of Huawei South Africa Government and Public Sector Business. “The rapid advancement of digital technologies presents us with unprecedented opportunities to enhance public services and build safer, more inclusive communities.”

Gu urged government, business and civil society to work together to develop practical digital strategies tailored to local needs. “The path to an intelligent, more connected future is a collective endeavour,” he added.

Barack Zhang, International Vice General Manager at Epoint Software, said governments around the world are moving toward integrated, data-driven platforms that simplify and personalise citizen services. “E-government has become a country’s digital business card,” Zhang explained. “AI, shared data systems and unified service portals are helping governments improve efficiency and deliver real value to citizens and businesses.”

Zhang noted that while South Africa has made progress, many services remain fragmented or partially online, with limited cross-departmental coordination and major data silos. Huawei’s e-government architecture addresses these issues through a unified super app, centralised digital ID system, and intelligent data platform, designed to streamline public access and strengthen governance.

Hong-Eng Koh, Huawei’s Global Chief Public Services Industry Scientist, advised that effective digital transformation doesn’t happen by chance. “Governments need vision, governance frameworks, a clear data strategy, and digital talent to drive meaningful change,” he said. “Gone are the days of siloed systems: we need a long-term architecture to support such intelligent transformation, including unified networks and unified clouds.

On the topic of urban security, Augustine Chiew, CTO for Public Services at Huawei, said intelligent video analytics and data tools are helping cities become safer and more resilient. “Safer cities are the foundation of a successful country,” said Chiew. “By integrating video data, AI and big data analytics, we can significantly improve the speed and precision of criminal investigations.”

Jiasheng Feng, Southern Africa Market Director of Gosuncn Technology Group, a core Huawei ecosystem partner, highlighted the Intelligent Video Image Analysis Platform, which automates the screening of vast video footage, improves suspect tracking, stolen vehicle tracking, and reduce delays in linking cases – providing vital support to law enforcement.

Viga Liu, Director of Huawei Intelligent Campus Marketing and Solution Sales Dept., turned attention to the education sector, where Huawei is driving digital transformation through its five-pillar ICT model: Smart classrooms, smart campuses, intelligent operation centres, education cloud and AI platforms, and high-quality networks.

“Technology is reshaping the way we teach and learn,” said Liu. “Our goal is to enable remote education and balance educational resources in digital villages.”

Huawei currently supports education modernisation in over 120 countries and aims to accelerate the rollout of these solutions in South Africa.

Dr. Bello Moussa, Chief strategy and transformation officer at Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa, In the healthcare sector, Huawei is leveraging its technological capabilities to support smarter, more efficient medical systems. Its scenario-based solutions include smart wards equipped with WiFi-7 and IoT for real-time equipment and information management, enhancing patient care. Telemedicine platforms expand access to specialist services in underserved areas, supporting the construction of digital villages. AI-assisted image diagnosis and digital pathology tools improve diagnostic speed and accuracy, particularly at the primary care level. Huawei’s Hospital Operation Centre further strengthens hospital efficiency by providing a centralised platform to visualise and manage operations, enabling data-driven decision-making and streamlined workflows.

Nonku Dlamini, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at Broadband Infraco, emphasised the importance of ensuring that everyone, regardless of their location or socio-economic status, has access to reliable and affordable internet. She stressed the need for concerted efforts to make digital access universal and to speed up the deployment of internet infrastructure to foster a more connected and inclusive society to. BBI is accelerating national connectivity to bridge the digital divide. “Partnering and Using Huawei’s advanced technologies, we’re building a national backbone of high-capacity, high-reliability networks,” she said, “This infrastructure is essential to power South Africa’s digital economy and ensures that more people can benefit from digital services. It boosts economic growth, enhances public service delivery, and improves overall quality of life.”

As the forum concluded, Huawei reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with government and public institutions to deliver locally relevant digital solutions. From e-government platforms and education to healthcare and public safety, the company is working to unlock long-term value through innovation, infrastructure, and inclusive collaboration.