The second annual State Information Technology Agency (SITA) ICT Public Service Awards has recorded a marked increase in the number of entries in the SME, Youth and Women's categories, says SITA.
Launched last year at SITA's GovTech conference, the ICT Public Service Awards recognise SA's most innovative public sector ICT projects and stakeholders.
This year's awards will be presented at a gala event on 30 October, as a highlight of GovTech 2016, at Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg.
Kelepile Kgobokoe, senior manager: Marketing at SITA, says the awards recognise the positive service delivery impact service delivered by the various ICT-based projects. "GovTech places significant focus on small, medium and micro enterprise development and start-ups. It also supports and reinforces women and youth involvement in government programmes, as well as the ICT sector in its entirety. As such, we have categories that ensure these important stakeholders in e-government are awarded in the women's categories," she says.
"SITA is proud to be partnering with a number of prominent players in the ICT industry, all with the common aim of enabling service delivery through ICT for citizen empowerment. This year's sponsors include Vodacom, MTN, Microsoft, Gijima, Accenture, Business Connexion, Huawei, Pinnacle, Intel and CEOS," Kgobokoe says.
The awards, offering prizes of up to R150 000, will highlight projects and innovations with the potential to enable government to deliver public services more efficiently. They will be judged on innovation, impact on citizens and potential to support public service transformation. Inaugural winners included the CSIR Meraka Institute's Broadband4All initiative, which harnesses mesh networking to expand broadband coverage to under-served communities; and Edit Microsystems' eBraille Project, which is revolutionising the quality of teaching and learning for visually impaired learners, promoting inclusive education and special needs education for the blind in South Africa.
ICT Public Service Awards will be presented in seven categories:
* ICT Service Delivery and Transformation Award - National Government, which recognises and rewards the most outstanding service delivery of a product or service, and/or transformation at a national government level.
* ICT Service Delivery and Transformation Award - Provincial Government, which recognises and rewards the most outstanding service delivery of a product or service, and/or transformation at a provincial government level.
* ICT Service Delivery and Transformation Award - Local Government, which recognises and rewards the most outstanding service delivery of a product or service, and/or transformation at a local government level.
* ICT Provider Innovation and Service Transformation Award - Start-Ups and SMMEs, which recognises a start-up or SME with a turnover of no more than R10 million per annum, which has improved service delivery to citizens.
* ICT Innovation and Service Transformation Award - Larger Companies, which recognises a company with a turnover greater than R10 million per annum, which has improved service delivery to citizens.
* Women in ICT Award, which, in an effort to promote the industry to all professionals, recognises the contribution that women make to the ICT industry and to the future of the profession.
* Youth in ICT Award, which is an effort to promote the contribution to the ICT industry to young professionals, recognises the contribution that young achievers make to this sector and to the growth and development of the industry as a whole.
The awards are adjudicated by an independent panel of judges and audited by an independent firm of external auditors.
GovTech 2016, to be staged at Gallagher Estate from 30 October to 2 November, will focus on the 'T - technology in ICT', with the main theme 'ICT for development, access and growth' and a sub-theme: 'How technology improves service delivery for citizen empowerment'.
More information about GovTech 2016 is available here.
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