Photo: Wang Lei
ZTE's South African donation ceremony for telecommunication student scholarships at the Witwatersrand University was held in Johannesburg on May 31. Chinese Ambassador Lin Songtian, Economic and Commercial Counselor Zhao Zhongyi and ZTE South Africa CEO Zhou Tao were in attendance, alongside the management team, professor and student representatives from Witwatersrand University, as well as Chinese and foreign media.
Lin Songtian affirmed the scholarship program and praised ZTE's outstanding achievements and contributions in promoting the development of the SA Telecom industry, cultivating telecommunication expertise and skills, as well as serving the local society in the decades since ZTE first landed in South Africa. Lin said that the Chinese government and enterprises place great importance on helping Africa in its development of skills and expertise. He noted that this is what will help African countries improve their industrial competitiveness and achieve sustainable development.
CEO of ZTE South Africa, Jerry Zhou expressed ZTE's willingness to continue these scholarship projects within South Africa, to continue to deepen and broaden the cooperation with local universities, as well as contribute to advanced technical co-operation research, talents training and skills development. In the foreseeable future, ZTE South Africa will not only provide these scholarships, but will also be able to provide future job opportunities for outstanding students.
Adam Habib, vice chancellor of Witwatersrand University, also pointed out that we are in the era of economic globalization, in which more and more Chinese enterprises are involved. He said he is delighted to cooperate with ZTE and hopes to carry out industry-university-research cooperation with more Chinese-funded enterprises in the future, to contribute to the economic development of South Africa and Africa in general.
As the world's leading provider of integrated telecommunications solutions, ZTE has always supported local community skills development, transferring skills and providing training as key measures to help South Africa overcome the gap in its IT digital industry. ZTE cooperated with Witwatersrand University to set up a scholarship program to support outstanding students who excel in telecommunication studies and have the potential to help South Africa further cultivate IT and telecommunication talents.
Since ZTE Corporation arrived in South Africa in 2006, it has fulfilled its corporate social responsibility in South Africa by funding partnerships in education, healthcare, technology and skills development. On several occasions, it has partnered with local government and institutions to donate computers, laptops, school bags and other necessities to disadvantaged primary and secondary school students.
Furthermore, in 2018, ZTE contributed a multimedia center for women and children in Cape Town, allowing them to access digital content and technology, as well as giving them a window to future skills development.