NTT Data Joins South African AI Awards as Exclusive Platinum Partner
NTT Data Joins South African AI Awards as Exclusive Platinum Partner. NTT Data South Africa has been named Exclusive Platinum Partner of the inaugural South African AI Awards, providing major industry backing for a new platform recognising artificial intelligence innovation and impact in the country.
The awards will culminate in a gala dinner in Johannesburg in November 2026, under the theme Inclusive Socio-Economic Prosperity. The programme focuses on practical outcomes from artificial intelligence, including wider access to healthcare and education, job creation and improved public services.
The inaugural awards feature 25 categories covering artificial intelligence initiatives across large companies, start-ups, academia, the public sector and community organisations. Categories include enterprise AI integration, AI research, township innovation, African-language technology, and AI applications in healthcare, education and public services.
Amantha Naidoo, executive managing director at NTT Data South Africa, said the company joined the awards to help highlight organisations, teams and use cases contributing to AI development in South Africa.
“South Africa has no shortage of AI innovation,” Naidoo said, adding that the awards provide a platform to identify and share initiatives delivering meaningful impact.
South African AI Awards chairperson Atenkosi Ngubevana said the awards would bring together AI work taking place across multiple sectors, including initiatives that may receive limited recognition beyond their immediate fields.
According to Ngubevana, the platform is intended to give South African innovators greater visibility while connecting parts of the AI community.
Naidoo also said the awards could eventually provide insight into the country’s AI landscape by highlighting adoption patterns, industries leading implementation, areas where measurable value is being created and gaps that remain.
The South African AI Awards recognise individuals, teams and organisations achieving measurable innovation and impact through artificial intelligence in South Africa.
Nominations are open to start-ups, corporates, NGOs, public-sector organisations and individuals, with the inaugural awards centred on the 2026 theme of Inclusive Socio-Economic Prosperity.
