In a world increasingly defined by digital acceleration, the question is no longer whether we need digital skills but which ones and for what reason. At the recent Foundational Digital Capabilities Research 2025 (FDCR2025) conference, thought leaders from across academia, government and industry gathered to explore the evolving science of digital fluency. The consensus was that foundational digital capabilities are more than just technical proficiencies; they are the bedrock of unbiased participation, innovation and resilience in the 21st century.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), in partnership with the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, hosted the FDCR2025 Conference. Co-located with the South African Institute of Computer Scientists and Information Technologists (SAICSIT) 2025 Conference, the event brought together scientists, engineers, policymakers, leading experts, innovative thinkers and key stakeholders from the private and public sectors across Africa to explore the future of digital capabilities in an increasingly interconnected world.

The FDCR Platform facilitates research, development and innovation in digital transformation through collaborative initiatives and open-access frameworks. These efforts aim to establish a robust information and communication technology industry by (South) Africa for (South) Africa.

Held at the Umhlanga Coastlands Hotel and Convention Centre from 15 to 18 July 2025, the FDCR2025 Conference featured four interactive workshops, a Student Day and 17 full papers aligned with the conference theme. It reflected the intent of the FDCR Platform to facilitate research, development and innovation across the digital economy value chain.

The FDCR2025 keynote address was delivered by Dr Ntsako Baloyi, the Africa Data and AI Lead – Technology at Accenture South Africa, a renowned authority in digital transformation. During his presentation, Baloyi emphasised the crucial role of AI as an enabler in driving innovation and a sustainable digital economy. “In the context of rapid technological advancement, organisations need to build resilient digital frameworks that are adaptable to change,” Baloyi noted.

Industry experts from IBM led a workshop on Quantum Computing, wherein participants explored what quantum computing is, its readiness for commercial applications, the benefits that QC brings to economies and societies, the risks involved, and how government could proactively play a role in responsibly shaping its development for the South African economy.

A DH-IGNITE workshop and tutorial, presented by the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR), introduced participants to the rapidly evolving field of digital humanities and computational social sciences, with a particular focus on building foundational digital capabilities for humanities researchers in South Africa. Through a combination of presentations, demonstrations, and hands-on activities, participants gained practical insights into how digital methodologies can enhance traditional humanities research while contributing to a sustainable digital research ecosystem.

The CSIR presented two workshops: A next-generation NLP workshop offered a structured introduction to the evolving field of Generative AI, with a focus on the available open-source tools, practical applications and responsible implementation; and a hands-on workshop on designing your own 5G network provided a practical guide to building and operating a 5G mobile network using open-source tools.

These workshops set the tone for the conference, fostering discussions focused on agile approaches to digital transformation, best practices in navigating digital disruptions, and the need for continuous learning and adaptation in a fast-evolving digital landscape.

The full conference papers spanned the following technology areas: cloud-to-edge, advanced IoT, networking, mixed reality, digital twins, blockchain, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. They focused on innovative research and development and addressing national challenges such as energy management, spectrum management, maritime communications, predictive maintenance, computing hardware maintenance, industrial training, and literacy.

The event served as a pivotal platform for showcasing the latest research from organisations such as the South African National Roads Agency, the National Transmission Company of South Africa, the CSIR, and several universities, sharing best practices and fostering collaborations that will pave the way for digital transformation.

One of the Conference highlights was an innovative paper presented by the CSIR’s Sthembiso Mkhwanazi, titled “Retrieval-Augmented Story Generation for isiZulu: Enhancing Literacy through AI in Low-Resource Contexts”, which he co-authored with Privolin Naidoo, Avashlin Moodley, Sandile Khumalo, Given Mnisi and Mamolapi Mothomoholo. The paper exemplifies how organisations can effectively enhance literacy through AI to improve operational efficiency and customer engagement. Mkhwanazi referred to the Ngiyaqonda! literacy application for indigenous South African languages and shared key learnings from its first pilot phase.

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Networking opportunities throughout the conference also allowed attendees to forge valuable connections, enabling knowledge-sharing and collaborative initiatives. Participants emerged with a renewed sense of purpose, optimistic about the potential for collective action to shape the future of digital capabilities.

FDCR2025 Conference Chairperson and CSIR Impact Area Manager, Dr Karen Calteaux, said, “The conference has laid the groundwork for a more inclusive and resilient digital future. It was not only a space for learning and discussions but also a catalyst for future innovation in digital capabilities.”

All accepted FDCR2025 submitted papers were double-blind peer-reviewed and will be published in the FDCR2025 online conference proceedings with an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), ensuring international academic credibility and visibility.

The FDCR Platform will continue its collaborative research initiatives and open-access digital capability development frameworks, required to establish a robust information and communication technology industry by (South) Africa for (South) Africa. The conference helps position South Africa as a thought leader in digital capability development. It reflects the country’s commitment to harnessing technology for inclusive growth, environmental stewardship and global competitiveness.

Link to conference proceedings: https://saicsit2025.org.za/FDCR/