Absa Group has announced a strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate its migration to cloud as part of its continuous digital transformation journey.
The companies established an alliance in 2015 and, according to Absa, today’s announcement represents an expansion of collaboration to accelerate innovation and digital transformation in SA.
AWS will serve as Absa’s preferred cloud provider, enhancing the bank’s technological agility while ensuring it remains responsive to the evolving needs of its customers for a frictionless, digital experiences.
By leveraging the full breadth of AWS services, Absa aims to harness emerging technologies, accelerate digital transformation and deliver secure, innovative and customer-focused solutions across its markets.
Johnson Idesoh, group chief information and technology officer at Absa, said: “Moving additional services to AWS will modernise our infrastructure, enable us to innovate faster, strengthen our resilience, enhance security and offer more personalised, intuitive customer experiences.”
Beyond technology, the partnership will continue to support inclusive growth through digital skills development and community investment.
The partners highlight their involvement in the Women in Tech initiative, which has been established to help bridge the gender gap in technology careers across the continent.
This year marks the third consecutive year the Women in Tech South Africa chapter has partnered with Absa and the AWS Skills Centre. The expanded programme will include 150 unemployed women from SA, Kenya, Botswana, Uganda and Ghana who will benefit from free AWS Cloud training and an Absa-sponsored exam fee (valued at $100) to become AWS Cloud Practitioner Certified.
“Choosing a cloud provider with a data centre on the continent is a deliberate decision to support investment in local communities. It’s also a step in our AI transformation journey as a financial services provider, by enabling smarter decision-making, hyper-personalised customer experiences and greater operational efficiency – driving innovation while enhancing trust, speed and scale,” added Idesoh.
Tanuja Randery, VP of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa at AWS, said: “We are excited to deepen our collaboration with Absa Group. This partnership exemplifies our shared commitment to driving innovation through cloud technology while building digital capabilities and equitable access to learning across Africa. Through our comprehensive training programmes and AI solutions, we’re supporting Absa’s technical transformation and helping to create a skilled workforce that supports the population as it embraces the digital future. The success we’ve seen with initiatives like Women in Tech demonstrates the powerful impact of combining cloud technology with skills development.”
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