Microsoft partners with SABC to provide AI, digital skills to South Africans

Microsoft South Africa and the South African Broadcasting Commission (SABC) have partnered to provide AI fluency and digital skills learning for South Africans through the SABC Plus digital platform.

Announced at the Microsoft AI Tour on January 29, this public-private partnership (PPP) is driven by Microsoft Elevate, an initiative aimed at equipping individuals and organisations with AI-driven skills and tools.

It also builds on the AI Skills Initiative launched last year when Microsoft pledged to train one-million South Africans by this year.

Since the inception of the AI Skills Initiative, Microsoft has engaged four-million learners, trained 1.4-million individuals and credentialed nearly 500 000 South African citizens.

Together, Microsoft and the SABC aim to integrate AI fluency modules, refresh digital literacy pathways and co-brand digital badges into the SABC Plus platform.

According to Microsoft’s recent ‘AI Diffusion Report’, South Africa’s AI adoption rose from 19.3% in the first half of 2025, to 21.1% in the second half, a 1.8% increase.

Source: Engineering news