Telkom has pledged R100 million to establish the Telkom AI Institute, a new platform designed to equip South Africans with artificial intelligence and digital skills and foster local innovation.
The pledge was announced in Geneva as part of the International Telecommunication Union’s Partner2Connect Digital Coalition. The coalition confirmed at the WSIS Forum 2026 High-Level Week that it has surpassed $82 billion (R1.3 trillion) in global commitments to connect the world. Telkom was one of only a handful of South African and African companies recognized in this round of pledges.
Telkom said its announcement was about more than joining a global ledger. South Africa’s digital divide, the company argued, is no longer only a question of network coverage. As artificial intelligence reshapes economies faster than most skills systems can respond, the risk is that a second, harder-to-close gap will emerge — a divide not between who is connected, but between who can use that connection to build a livelihood.
“Connectivity without capability only gets South Africa halfway there,” said Telkom Group CEO Serame Taukobong. “We have spent years building the networks that connect this country. The Telkom AI Institute is our commitment to ensuring that connectivity translates into skills, jobs and opportunity.”
Taukobong said the initiative would start with the South Africans who stand to gain the most and who have had the least access until now. The institute will focus on practical, job-ready AI and digital skills training, with an emphasis on reaching young people and small businesses, and will target communities currently underserved by South Africa’s digital economy.
Telkom said the pledge sits within its broader Vision 2030 ambition to act as an “orchestrator of possibilities” for South Africa’s digital future — extending the company’s role beyond infrastructure provider to active builder of the skills base South Africa needs to compete globally.
Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, said the $82 billion milestone marked a defining moment for the Partner2Connect coalition. “Now is the time to turn these pledges into impactful projects, aligning countries’ and regional priorities with partner commitments, and delivering measurable results across all regions,” he said.
Since its launch in 2021, Partner2Connect has received more than 1,000 pledges from 149 countries, with projects now underway in more than 190 countries. Africa, Asia and the Pacific are the leading regions for implementation, and digital infrastructure accounts for the largest share of commitments globally. The ITU estimates that achieving universal, meaningful connectivity by 2030 could require between $2.6 trillion and $2.8 trillion worldwide.
Telkom’s pledge will be tracked through the ITU’s Partner2Connect platform alongside commitments from Partner2Connect Champions.
