On March 1, Huawei Northern Africa OTF (Operations Transformation Forum) 2026 was successfully held in Barcelona, Spain. With the theme “Unified Entry & All Intelligent Operations Ignite New Growth” the event gathered over 100 representatives from governments, operators, and industry organizations to discuss the digital and intelligent transformation of African operators and share best practices.
During the event, Huawei and African operators jointly launched the “Northern Africa Digital Operation Transformation Pioneer Club 2.0,” marking a new phase in the region’s digital transformation of the telecom industry.
Lucas Lu, Vice President of Huawei Global Technical Service, delivered the opening speech, highlighting that as AI becomes an omnipresent core driver, the telecom industry is entering a new era of intelligence, where operators must reshape value creation, user experience, and business models through digital intelligent services and AI-enabled end-to-end operations.
Aaron Boasman, Vice President of TM Forum, mentioned that AI is transforming operators from "traffic pipes" to "intelligent platforms". The first to integrate AI into network operations, customer care, and MM scenarios will be able to turn cost centers into profit engines and user entry points into ecosystem entry points.
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Eric Yuan, President of Huawei Northern Africa Delivery & Service, highlighted that Huawei has designed the E.B.O.I-driven (Entry, Business, Operations, and Infrastructure) digital and intelligent transformation solution for Africa operators, aiming to reshape future business models in the AI/5G era. Leveraging AI, Huawei enhances networks, improves user experience, innovates O&M, and enriches digital life scenarios. By creating Super App and AI unified entry points, Huawei supports operators to seize opportunities and achieve win-win success.
Yin Shaochun, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom Marketing Department, Bruk Adhana, Chief Mobile Money Business Officer of Ethio Telecom, and Lassaad Ben Dhieb, Chairman & CEO of TUNISIE TELECOM GROUP, shared their insights on AI and cloud service transformation, digital business innovation, and the growth driven by 5G infrastructure, respectively.
Chris Meng, President of Huawei Northern Africa ICT Marketing & Solution Sales, and CXOs from several leading operators discussed the impact of AI on network operations and maintenance. Experts agreed that for operators, AI is not just an IT technology but a strategic imperative: starting with cost reduction and efficiency improvements, then leveraging AI for data monetization, and ultimately evolving towards an ecosystem model. By building AI Agents, operators can create a super entry for digital and intelligent living, offering users a rich array of digital and intelligent services and a new level of experience.
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Lucas Lu, Vice President of Huawei Global Technical Service, and Jim Liu, President of Huawei Northern Africa Carrier Business, joined forces with Amir Benidir, CMO of Algeria Telecom, Hicham Ennoure, Vice CEO of Gabon Moov Money, Lassaad Ben Dhieb, Chairman & CEO of TUNISIE TELECOM GROUP, and Bruk Adhana, Chief Mobile Money Business Officer of Ethio Telecom, to launch the ‘Northern Africa Digital Operation Transformation Pioneer Club 2.0.’ This initiative aims to leverage industry best practices and unite operator leaders and experts to accelerate the digital and intelligent transformation in Africa.
Jim Liu, President of Huawei Northern Africa Carrier Business, delivered the closing speech. Jim emphasized that AI-driven unified entry and end-to-end intelligent operations are no longer experimental—they are operational imperatives, enabling telecom operators to accelerate transformation, create new value, and ignite growth across Africa.
