TechCentral (main feed)

• TCS+ | Africa’s digital transformation – unlocking AI through cloud and culture

  Africa’s digital transformation continues to accelerate, driven by growing cloud adoption and rising interest in artificial intelligence. Yet many organisations still face challenges in converting these ambitions into measurable business outcomes. According to Cliff de Wit, group chief innovation officer at Accelera Digital Group, the success of AI-driven initiatives depends as much on culture and governance as it does on technology. In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ podcast, De Wit outlines the practical steps leaders can take to reduce organisational friction, strengthen data foundations and enable cloud-led innovation at scale. “Cloud is no longer an IT decision. It is the foundation on which every modern AI strategy is built,” says De Wit. And technical readiness alone is not enough. “The biggest barrier is not the tech, it’s whether the organisation is prepared to manage change at the pace AI requires.” In this episode, De Wit discusses: • The concept of organisational drag and how it affects AI progress; ● Approaches to strengthening culture and governance within digital programmes; ● The role of the C-suite in accelerating cloud and AI adoption while demonstrating clear return on investment; ● What an AI-ready data foundation looks like and why it is essential; ● How strong data management practices unlock new sources of business value; and ● Why African organisations are increasingly well positioned to advance rapidly through cloud-first strategies. The discussion provides practical guidance for business and technology leaders seeking a clearer understanding of how cloud, data and culture intersect to enable enterprise-wide AI transformation. Don’t miss it! TechCentral

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• TCS+ | How Cloud on Demand helps partners thrive in the AWS ecosystem

  Newly minted small businesses often struggle to establish themselves as reliable service providers among their more established competitors. To help cloud-focused business thrive, Amazon Web Services has created the AWS distribution model to support small businesses and help them grow. In this episode of TCS+, Cloud on Demand’s Xenia Rhode and Developmenthub’s Odwa Ndyaluvane explain how the AWS distribution model benefits partners in the same ecosystem. In this episode, Rhode and Ndyavulane discuss: • An overview of the AWS distribution model and its ecosystem partners; • Who Developmenthub is and how the company started; • The support Cloud on Demand, an AWS select partner, provides to Developmenthub; • The business outcomes that Developmenthub has achieved through the partnership; • The business development support available within the partner ecosystem; • The new market access opportunities Cloud on Demand was able to avail to Developmenthub; and • New revenue streams that Developmenthub was able to tap into because of the Cloud on Demand partnership. Don’t miss the discussion. TechCentral

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• TCS | MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita on competition, AI and the future of mobile

  South Africa’s big three telecommunications operators have all reported numbers in recent weeks, and the theme is clear: competition in prepaid has intensified sharply. Telkom’s resurgence has put pressure on both MTN and Vodacom, with MTN acknowledging it has “discernibly” lost prepaid market share. This is one of the topics covered in this wide-ranging and exclusive TechCentral Show interview with MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita, who sat down earlier this week with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod to discuss this and other major topics, including: • The impact of online gambling on the telecoms sector; • The need for further consolidation in South African telecoms, and why Mupita won’t completely rule out a deal with Telkom, provided the “stars align”; • Vodacom’s acquisition of a co-controlling stake in Vumatel parent Maziv and how MTN will respond; • The impact of low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity on the telecoms industry and how MTN plans to work with companies like SpaceX/Starlink and Amazon Leo – and whether he sees them as competitors or partners (or both); • The spectacular turnaround in Nigeria and whether it’s durable; • The future of MTN’s involvement in Iran, and the lessons learnt from the group’s exit from other Middle Eastern markets; • Plans to shift MTN Group’s focus to East Africa in the coming years; and • Why he’s fascinated by the impact that AI could have on telecoms in Africa. Don’t miss a great discussion on the future of MTN and telecoms in Africa! TechCentral

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• TCS | Dominic Cull on fixing South Africa’s ICT policy bottlenecks

  Returning to the TechCentral Show is ICT regulatory expert Dominic Cull, founder of Ellipsis and regulatory advisor to the Internet Service Providers’ Association. Cull recently attended communications minister Solly Malatsi’s policy colloquium in Pretoria – the first under a non-ANC communications minister. Cull says there is a discernibly different tone from Malatsi compared to his predecessors: more openness, more willingness to engage stakeholders and a stronger focus on evidence-based policymaking. However, while the intent is encouraging, South Africa’s ICT policy environment remains inconsistent, slow and fragmented. In the podcast, Cull discusses: • Malatsi’s policy colloquium and what came out of it • The state of ICT policy and regulation in South Africa • The biggest policy bottlenecks holding back growth in the ICT sector • Why government doesn’t fully grasp the economic impact of digital infrastructure • The latest on the next spectrum auction • The EU’s decision to hand much of the 6GHz band to mobile operators – and why South Africa shouldn’t blindly copy it • What’s needed to fix the Rica legislation • Why Starlink isn’t coming to South Africa anytime soon Cull also shares the top priority areas he’d focus on in 2026 if he was minister of communications. It’s a great discussion – don’t miss it! TechCentral

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• Meet the CIO | How BDO’s Khaya Mbanga is preparing the firm for the AI future

  Welcome to season 2 of Meet the CIO, TechCentral’s podcast series that dives into the minds of South Africa’s top technology leaders. Meet the CIO is brought to you by NTT DATA – where global experience meets local impact. After a highly successful first season featuring CIOs from across the corporate landscape, we’re kicking off season 2 with a conversation with Khaya Mbanga, chief information and digital officer at BDO South Africa, where he also heads the firm’s growing BDO Digital division. BDO is one of the world’s largest professional services firms, specialising in audit, tax and advisory. Headquartered in Belgium, its name comes from the three founding firms – Binder, Dijker and Otte – that merged to form the organisation. In this wide-ranging episode, Mbanga reflects on his career journey through consulting, FMCG and mining; how he first got into technology; and the evolution of the CIO role into one that now straddles digital strategy, cybersecurity, AI and organisational change. He also unpacks his passion for artificial intelligence, including his involvement in the IITPSA Special Interest Group on AI and Robotics, and offers his perspective on how AI will reshape auditing, tax and broader business functions in South Africa. From managing hallucinations in large language models to rethinking talent pipelines, Mbanga shares candid insights into both the opportunities and risks ahead. Topics covered include: • What it means to be the CIDO of BDO South Africa • Career background across consulting, FMCG and mining • His first computer and how he got into technology • Robotic process automation in the mining sector • How AI will transform auditing and tax • Dealing with the risk of AI hallucinations in data-sensitive environments • The broader impact of AI on South African business • Technology talent shortages and what skills CIOs need today • His favourite productivity hacks and tools Don’t miss this great opener to the new season of Meet the CIO. If you missed any of the interviews from season 1, you can find them all on TechCentral. TechCentral

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