The South Korean government has agreed to donate R8 million over three years to establish an Information Technologies Co-operation Centre (ITCC), which will help foster e-skills development.
A signing ceremony was held on Monday in the parliamentary precinct between SA's deputy communications minister Roy Padayachie and South Korea's vice-minister for public service and administration, Nam-Joon Chung. During this meeting, the agreement, which was two years in the making, was formalised.
Padayachie said the agreement means the Korean Agency for Digital Opportunities (Kado) would help the creation of the needed cadres whose role would be to advance the cause of ICT.
He said the following areas of cooperation had been identified:
* The operation of an e-skills training centre;
* Implementation of e-government and the development of the related skills;
* The development of research and development projects for ICT development and the proactive development of ICT skills needs in SA;
* Consultation and advice on national ICT development; and
* Building a mutually cooperative relationship between the IT sectors of the two countries.
"The project [ITCC] is in line with the general objectives of the Meraka e-Skills Institute that will be operational by the beginning of the 2009 academic year," said Harold Wesso, acting CEO of the Meraka e-Skills Institute.
He said the Meraka e-Skills Institute will have the responsibility for the project identification and design.
Wesso said an e-skill is defined as the ability to develop and use ICT within the context of a knowledge environment, and associated competencies include technology, business and functional aptitude.
Padayachie said: "A partnership with Kado is a major boost for the operationalisation of the Meraka e-Skills Institute, both in terms of knowledge production and human resources."
The ITCC will initially be located in the Department of Communications' Pretoria offices, before transferring to a "Youth Village" that is being built on the outskirts of that city.
Share