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SA SMEs head to South Korea to showcase solutions

Paula Gilbert
By Paula Gilbert, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 20 Sept 2017
DTPS minister Siyabonga Cwele.
DTPS minister Siyabonga Cwele.

Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) minister Siyabonga Cwele will lead a delegation of business leaders and local ICT entrepreneurs to this year's ITU Telecom World conference, taking place in Busan, South Korea, from 25 to 28 September.

The South African delegation will include five small and medium enterprises (SMEs) focused on the ICT sector. The DTPS says their participation in the South African delegation will allow them the opportunity to showcase their solutions on a global platform and network with potential partners and funders.

Cwele says the conference was a perfect opportunity to showcase SA's capabilities and dynamism in the ICT sector and position the country as a leading force in the ICT sector in the developing world.

"It is important that we use such events to raise global interest in the innovation, vibrancy and diversity of the South African ICT sector and provide a global platform for our home-grown SMEs who wouldn't normally be able to afford such an opportunity," says Cwele.

DTPS director-general Robert Nkuna told ITWeb in a telephonic interview that the role of SMEs in the ICT industry is top of the agenda for the department.

"We just finalised the SME development strategy for the SA ICT sector, which is going to be submitted to Cabinet for approval. Hopefully, in the next month or so, it will be released to the public, as the final plan.

"What we have done is we have looked at the value chain of the ICT sector. You have the services sector, distribution, manufacturing as well as infrastructure installation and maintenance and [we wanted to know] what are the opportunities for SMEs throughout that value chain? We will release the details of that strategy once we have gone to Cabinet," he says.

Boosting SMEs

Nkuna says when the ITU indicated the theme of the conference was also SMEs, the DTPS saw it as an opportunity to take local SMEs with them so that they could get exposure to broader markets.

DTPS director-general Robert Nkuna.
DTPS director-general Robert Nkuna.

"They will attend the industry forums and engage with fellow industry players and make partnerships. We are trying to expose the local SMEs to other big companies out there," he says.

The ICT-related businesses selected are:

* Simplus Innovation, which developed a data analytics platform being used by multinational companies such as Anglo American and MTN.

* Lobster Consulting, which developed an app focused on helping university students find accommodation.

* Letstati ICT, which is based in Postmasburg in the Northern Cape and is developing technology solutions to allow better access to government-related information and services, especially in rural areas.

* Augmented reality specialist and app developer BIIS.

* KwaZulu-Natal-based local device designer Flip Page Communications.

The SMEs were selected following a rigorous procedure using criteria including best business model, most innovative use of ICT, greatest social impact and most scalable solutions. They will be joined by more established businesses such as mobile operator Vodacom and the delegation includes a team from Brand South Africa.

"We look for SMEs that are at that level where they can compete with other SMEs out there in terms of their innovation. They need to be a going concern which is really doing something, and also companies that really need partners out there and need the exposure," Nkuna adds.

He says in July, the department also took some SMEs to China for the BRICS meeting.

The ITU Telecom World is an international platform for influential figures from government and industry to connect with tech SMEs, exhibit and explore partnerships solutions, debate and share ideas.

In addition to showcasing South African businesses at the conference, Cwele will also participate in a number of panel discussions, including the Leadership Summit panel, which seeks to address the challenges of cyber security, data protection and privacy.

The minister will be a presenter at the ministerial roundtable, which will highlight the actions taken by the public sector to ensure smart digital transformation benefits citizens and society at large, addressing the major risks linked with technology disruption.

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