Telkom has pledged $6.1 million (R100 million) to establish the Telkom AI Institute, a new platform to equip South Africans with artificial intelligence (AI) and digital skills, foster local innovation and accelerate inclusive participation in the digital economy.
The pledge was announced yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) Partner2Connect Digital Coalition, which confirmed at the WSIS Forum 2026 High-Level Week that it has surpassed $100 billion in global commitments to connect the world.
Telkom is one of a handful of South African and African companies recognised in this round of pledges.
In a statement, the ITU says with one-quarter of the world’s population offline, commitments to Partner2Connect directly support the goal of achieving universal, meaningful connectivity – ensuring everyone has access to affordable and reliable internet and the skills to use it safely and effectively.
“Partner2Connect having surpassed its $100 billion goal is a landmark achievement in global efforts towards universal meaningful connectivity,” says ITU secretary-general Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
“Today is a powerful reminder that every pledge makes a difference to bring everyone on board our shared digital future.”
Unifying force
According to the ITU, since its launch in 2021, Partner2Connect has united governments, industry players, international organisations, development banks and civil society to support digital inclusion across the globe.
It explains that commitments focus on expanding digital infrastructure, strengthening digital skills, fostering innovation and creating opportunities for hundreds of millions of people.
Telkom says South Africa’s digital divide is no longer only a question of network coverage.
As AI reshapes economies faster than most skills systems can respond, the risk is that a second, harder-to-close gap will emerge: a divide between who is connected and who can use that connection to build a livelihood, it adds.
“Connectivity without capability only gets South Africa halfway there,” says Serame Taukobong, group CEO of Telkom.
“We have spent years building the networks that connect this country. The Telkom AI Institute is our commitment to ensuring connectivity translates into skills, jobs and opportunity, starting with the South Africans who stand to gain the most and who have had the least access until now.”
According to the company, the Telkom AI Institute will focus on practical, job-ready AI and digital skills training, with an emphasis on reaching young people, small businesses and communities currently underserved by South Africa's digital economy.
It notes that the pledge sits within Telkom’s broader Vision 2030 ambition to act as an orchestrator of possibility for South Africa’s digital future, extending the company’s role beyond being an infrastructure provider, to becoming an active builder of the skills base the country needs to compete 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.
Defining milestone
Other pledges announced at the event include the Asian Development Bank, which pledged to implement the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway. This aims to mobilise $20 billion in public and private investment by 2035 to improve digital connectivity for up to 650 million people through expanded cross-border digital infrastructure, regional digital hubs and improved broadband access.
Microsoft pledged to advance inclusive digital transformation by connecting more than 450 rural and underserved community hubs in Kenya through satellite-enabled infrastructure integrated with Azure Space. It will also invest about $18 billion in Australia through 2029 to expand AI and cloud infrastructure, strengthen cyber resilience and equip more than three million Australians with AI and digital skills.
Boston Consulting Group pledged $500 million to deploying AI for social impact by partnering with leading philanthropies and non-profit organisations to scale development outcomes across education, workforce development, healthcare and poverty reduction.
ZTE committed $450 million over three years, from 2026 to 2028, to ecosystem partnership programmes that aim to build an open and collaborative AI value community, lower barriers to intelligent transformation and enable the co-creation of smart solutions worldwide.
SoftBank pledged to advance AI-ready connectivity infrastructure through AI-RAN technologies, open innovation and industry collaboration, with the aim of building the foundation for more intelligent, accessible and sustainable connectivity, while supporting AI adoption and digital transformation across markets and communities worldwide.
The GSM Association pledged to advance inclusive AI in Africa through the African AI Language Models project, bringing together stakeholders to develop AI systems that reflect African languages, cultures and knowledge, while accelerating AI adoption and digital inclusion across underserved communities.
“Reaching $100 billion in Partner2Connect pledges is a defining milestone in our journey toward universal digital development,” says Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau.
“Now is the time to turn these pledges into impactful projects, aligning countries’ and regional priorities with partner commitments, and ensure results across all regions.”
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