Network Ninja

So yesterday it became official that Cisco Systems, Inc. is going to be investing ZAR 215,000,000 in South Africa (USD 27,000,000) love the naughts makes it looks like REAL money. The investment will go to the Cisco Innovation Hub Technology Centre (CIHTC) that will be become the home of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives including an InnovationLab, a global Talent Acquisition Programme, the Cisco Netversity, an Entrepreneur Institute and a Software Development Programme.

This investment is expected to collectively drive a R1bn gross domestic product (GDP) effect over an initial five year period. The 3000 square metre CIHT Centre will be based at the Innovation Hub (accross the CSIR) in Pretoria, South Africa.

The CIHTC complex will be an advanced tech incubation centre aimed at fostering and developing local skills, intellectual property, entrepreneurship and solution development capabilities in the ICT sector. The implications of this is 200 direct and 800 indirect employment opportunities and development of intellectual property, the training and certification of design and network engineers, local software development, state of the art network communication laboratories (maybe even CCIE and practice labs, hold thumbs!!!!), access to business guidance and a showcase for venture capital providers looking to fund solutions or businesses that result from Centre Operations.

In the words of Steve Midgley, Managing Director of Cisco South Africa “South Africa is on the brink of entering a broadband boom,” which in turn will “change the way people live and work – giving the public sector and business the opportunity to gain significant efficiencies, to drive productivity enhancements, to achieve cost reductions and to gain access to new market segments within their existing business models. It will also create an enabling platform from which new business models can be created. Cisco is investing in this initiative now to ensure that when the broadband revolution really kicks off, South Africa has enough of the right kind of skills, solutions creation capabilities and intellectual property to leverage the many benefits broadband will bring to the country.”