Subscribe

SITA readies for 11th GovTech conference

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 13 Oct 2016
This year's GovTech conference will explore the role of technologies in meeting critical goals in the National Development Plan, says SITA CEO Setumo Mohapi.
This year's GovTech conference will explore the role of technologies in meeting critical goals in the National Development Plan, says SITA CEO Setumo Mohapi.

This year's Government Technology (GovTech) conference will explore disruption of technology on conventional government service delivery models.

So says Setumo Mohapi, CEO of the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), ahead of the tenth instalment of the government technology conference.

This year's conference will take place at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, from 30 October to 2 November.

This year's theme is ICT for development, access and growth, and the role technologies play in meeting the goals in the National Development Plan will be unpacked during the conference tracks.

According to Mohapi, ICT has hailed in the fourth industrial revolution, setting a new benchmark for business.

"New and more efficient state models that are built upon these technologies are being established worldwide, and South Africa is following suit with ample examples that set the scene for our 'e-government' of the future."

The Department of Home Affairs' online smart ID and passport application platform is a perfect example of how government is adopting new technologies and integrating them across its departments and agencies, says Mohapi.

eHomeAffairs will be presented at this year's conference by high-ranking representatives of departments and organs of state, and will be a major highlight of the event, he adds.

GovTech 2016 will conclude with an innovation track, which will emphasise the "T" in ICT, Mohapi says.

"It points to the future of public service delivery where governments will eventually provide services without owning any hard assets... Existing business models, such as Uber, are already stimulating such thinking, and further motivated by models like Bitcoin and blockchain that bring a strong element of trust to the IOT [Internet of things]," he concludes.

Share