Achievers call for skills development

Johannesburg, 31 Oct 2005

Skills development "from the ground up" became the focus at this year`s African ICT Achievers Awards ceremony hosted by ForgeAhead in Midrand on Saturday.

This sentiment, expressed by the winners, was shared by communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, who singled out the development of human capital in the sector as being a critical issue.

The minister said the liberalisation of the communications sector will go a long way in expanding the industry, and at the same time increase the participation of marginalised communities.

"A collaborative effort between the private and public sectors will surely speed up this process," she noted.

The overall winner in the individual category, HP CEO Thoko Mokgosi-Mwantembe, also noted that women need better representation in the ICT sector, and stressed the need to encourage girls to take an interest in science and technology from the early stages of education.

Matsepe-Casaburri also pointed out that emphasis should be placed on research and development, which should recognise the needs of the disabled members of society.

[VIDEO]"We as a sector should encourage partnerships that will lead to more infrastructure development, because we need to move with great speed if we are to keep up with the pace of technological advancements," she explained.

ForgeAhead MD Jane Mosebi said she is pleased the awards continue to get bigger every year and added that they are also a catalyst to the fostering of development in the ICT sector.

Although most of the winners came from within SA, Mosebi said the nomination and adjudication processes were inclusive of the entire continent, with the results simply showing that local firms were performing well.