Cisco Launches Johannesburg Initiative as Part of Global Community-Led Transformation Program

Cisco Systems Inc. has launched its new 40 Communities Johannesburg initiative in South Africa, marking a significant step in community-led transformation in the region.

The initiative is part of Cisco's 40 Communities (40C) program, which aims to engage, support, and invest in 40 communities around the world over 10 years. The Johannesburg site is the first in Africa and builds on Cisco's three-decade history in South Africa.

Cisco has partnered with Jozi My Jozi, a citywide coalition of more than 140 organizations spanning government, business, civil society, academia, and local communities. Together, they will co-create and co-execute initiatives that build overall capacity within the community, yield measurable outcomes, and ensure long-term sustained impact across four priority workstreams: digital education and skilling, connected safety, smart mobility and transit, and responsible giving, volunteer engagement, and community activation.

Cisco's 40C initiative has already shown early successes in its existing sites in Western Northern Carolina in the US and Mumbai, India. The company has been investing in social impact in South Africa for years, including introducing a new collaboration with the Raspberry Pi Foundation and EduNova to increase AI literacy for educators and students across Gauteng.