The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) launched the Wits Quantum Initiative (WitsQ) on June 10, 2021. Led by Professor Andrew Forbes from the Wits School of Physics, the initiative was described as a strategic effort to make Wits a leading quantum institute on the African continent.
WitsQ was structured as a multidisciplinary forum spanning science, engineering, social sciences, humanities, health, and business. Its stated activities included research, innovation, education and outreach, and ethics of quantum technologies. Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Wits Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, said quantum technology was “crucial in a whole range of aspects of South Africa’s future, whether it is water security, communication, banking and finance or in the military space.”
Wits positioned WitsQ as a driver of the national SA QuTI initiative, which had been formally approved by the Department of Science and Innovation in March 2021.