Unisa partners with tech entities to enhance Africa’s digital future

A one-day Women-in-Tech Workshop was presented on 17 September 2025 at the Unisa Muckleneuk Campus. It was jointly hosted by Unisa and Women in Tech South Africa, and sponsored by Amazon Web Services (AWS), under the theme” Empowering Africa's Digital Future: Innovation, Resilience, and Opportunity”.

The purpose of the workshop was to provide Unisa students registered in the fields of information systems and computer science with industry information and lived experiences from tech experts from Amazon, make students aware of AWS training in cloud computing and artificial intelligence that is offered free of charge, and share global career opportunities available at Amazon. Ultimately, the overarching efforts behind the workshop were geared towards preparing the Unisa students for a world within the tech space.

In her welcome address, Mathabo Nakene-Mginqi, Unisa’s Vice-Principal of ICT and the university’s CIO, highlighted the significance of the workshop and asserted that it is one of the ways in which the university is supporting its students in preparing them for their careers.

Mathabo Nakene-Mginqi

“I am hoping that everyone is grabbing this opportunity with both hands to craft the future that you want and in breaking the glass ceiling that exists in the tech space”, she said. “As a university, we are also looking forward to our working relationship with AWS in hosting our learning management system and the tech-savvy design that we have put together.”

We want to make sure that the learning management systems that students interface with on a daily basis have an availability and a performance factor that is much more enhanced than what has been achieved with the one currently in use,” she said in conclusion. “Working with partners such as AWS, we are going to be breaking barriers in terms of the performance and stability of the learning management system.”

Melissa Slaymaker, Global Partnerships Director at Women in Tech South Africa, highlighted the organisation’s mission during her address, which is to empower five million girls and women in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics by 2030 through impactful action in education, business, digital inclusion, and advocacy. “We are here today, along with our partners Amazon and AWS, to spread the good news of free learning on getting AI certified, trained and upskilled for anyone who wants to be equipped with AI skills,” she said.

Melissa Slaymaker (right)

The keynote address was presented by Bianca Haarhoff, a senior software engineering manager at AWS and a Unisa alumna who completed a BSc in Computer Science in 2013. She reflected on her journey in tech and how she is currently leading multiple teams responsible for services in platform engineering at AWS.

Bianca Haarhoff

The workshop also comprised two panel discussions: a talent acquisition panel that covered discussions on the recruitment processes at Amazon, and a leadership panel that focused on the future of the South African industry and preparing students for 2030 and beyond. At the end of the formal speaking engagements, Unisa students had the opportunity to interact further with the Amazon team at their exhibition booth, where they could sign up for the free AI certification programme offered by Amazon and learn about available work opportunities.

* By Dr Nozipho N Madzivha, Communications and Marketing Specialist (acting), College of Science, Engineering and Technology