The Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, and Google South Africa Country Director Kabelo Makwane recently officiated the signing of a landmark Letter of Intent (LOI) aimed at strengthening digital skills and AI integration across South Africa’s higher education sector. The partnership focuses on equipping students and educators with future-ready skills through initiatives such as Google Career Certificate scholarships, AI curriculum integration, educator training, device support, and AI policy development.

AIMS South Africa was invited to participate in the event, where Prof Karin-Therese Howell shared insights from its Google.org-supported initiatives in higher education. During a panel discussion, AIMS highlighted its multi-country partnership with the FATE Foundation to deliver the Advanced Artificial Intelligence Upskilling Programme across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.

This flagship initiative aims to train over 30,900 students and support at least 30 higher education institutions over three years through a train-the-trainer model. AIMS South Africa, under the leadership of Prof Ulrich Paquet, AI Director, plays a central role in lecturer training, curriculum localisation, and programme implementation, leveraging its pan-African network to build a sustainable ecosystem for advanced AI education and innovation across the continent.