Hundreds of international delegates from Africa, Europe, Asia and South America, business people, ICT companies and government representatives will descend on Cape Town, from 4 to 7 June, as SA hosts the inaugural ICT Indaba.
The four-day event, at the Cape Town Convention Centre, will put the spotlight on international models on how to boost the development of the ICT sector in Africa.
In a statement, the Department of Communications, which is hosting the indaba, says the event is aimed at formulating an African agenda to promote ICT as a primary tool to spur social and economic development throughout the continent.
The department adds that the indaba - envisaged to be held annually for the next five years - has also been endorsed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
Taking place under the themes: “Connecting Africa to Development with ICTs” and “Bridging the Digital Divide”, the ICT Indaba 2012 has identified six critical sectors for driving ICT as a tool for development - education, health, infrastructure, agri-business, trade and extractive industries.
Houlin Zhao, the ITU's deputy secretary-general, is one of the keynote speakers and will present a paper titled “The Powerful Dynamic Role of ICTs in Socio-economic Development”.
Speakers from Rwanda, China, India and Cuba will present papers on the development models under the theme “Sourcing, Building and Retaining the Necessary Skills Force for a Robust ICT Industry”.
There will also be presentations on Bangalore, Indian's Silicon Valley, Mexico's Guadalajara and Egypt.
Dr Jun Xia, of the School of Economics and Management, at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, will speak about the Chinese Model of “Advancing Rural Development Through ICTs”.
The Indian Model will consider how to conceptualise and run an “e-skills development programme in developing countries”, while the Cuban Model will share experiences for “producing industry-ready graduates”.
One of the highlights of the first day is a session on the Crystal Ball Exercise, with technology gurus that will feature eight international experts from several countries.
The speakers on this topic are Andile Ngcaba, chairman of Dimension Data; Shig Okaya, director of Japan Science and Agency; Alfred Watkins, executive chairman of Global/Innovation Summit (Silicon Valley); Sam Mensah, Africa director of Intel Capital; and Zaki Khoury, regional head of Microsoft Middle East and Africa.
Communications minister Dina Pule says the ICT Indaba seeks to ensure the ICT sector plays its role as a primary enabler of economic growth and job creation, not only in SA, but throughout the continent.
“I take pleasure in inviting our compatriots across the diaspora, to our country, to partner with us, the ICT industry, labour and civil society as we enter a bold partnership that seeks to shape the development of the continent.
“By hosting the ICT Indaba 2012, the South African government is sending out a bold word to the world that Africa is ready to be the next boom market for ICT services. Africa is a minefield of opportunities for communication services providers because it has a population estimated at one billion people. But many of them do not have access to affordable communications services.”
The 2012 DOC budget vote speech
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