ITWeb TV Biz: How AWS is helping to build SA’s next generation of cloud entrepreneurs
Through its Equity Equivalent Investment Programme, AWS South Africa has supported 47 black-owned, cloud-native businesses, equipping them with AWS certifications, go-to-market skills and access to its global partner network.
South Africa has been part of Amazon Web Services (AWS) history since the development of Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) in Cape Town. AWS continues to deepen its relationship with South Africa by investing in the people and businesses that are building the country's cloud economy. In 2020, AWS South Africa launched the Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) to support small, black-owned technology businesses in the cloud market.
The EEIP provides cloud-native companies with access to AWS certifications, Partner Network status, technical training, business coaching, and go-to-market planning. James Hickman, AWS South Africa's country manager, explained that the program was designed to have a positive impact on the country while delivering outcomes for AWS customers.
Nomzamo Xaba, AWS South Africa's principal program manager for B-BBEE, emphasized that the team focused on creating lasting economic impact by building well-rounded businesses that positively affect the communities they serve.
Research from the University of the Western Cape shows that up to 80% of small and medium businesses fail within their first five years. The EEIP aims to address the various challenges these businesses face, from funding to technical capability and go-to-market support. The program combines technical skills with the softer skills necessary for small businesses to compete at the same level as larger companies.
AWS continuously refines the EEIP based on the needs of its participants. The program's iterative approach includes business coaching and go-to-market planning to help businesses scale faster and expand beyond South Africa. Participating companies have also contributed to South Africa's professional cloud workforce by helping people start careers in deep technology, including achieving AWS Golden Jackets – globally recognized cloud professionals who hold every generally available AWS certification.
The AWS EEIP is contributing to South Africa's professional cloud workforce by supporting entrepreneurs who are building the next generation of the country's cloud economy. ITWeb TV Biz will profile several successful AWS EEIP partners through a series of video interviews, highlighting the real founders who started from scratch and are now serving customers locally and globally as part of the AWS Partner Network.
Written by urgent.news from ITWeb's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
