Last week`s ICT in Government summit in Gauteng featured many industry challenges, pilot projects and failures. However, a change in perspective would have shown there is some hope for ICT in local government.
Many speakers at the local government summit emphasised challenges, and not enough was said about successes. Where actual projects were mentioned, people spoke about pilots and plans, with little said about successful full-scale roll-outs.
According to the event`s organisers, some speakers did focus on successful projects and enterprising ICT collaborations between municipalities. But the overwhelming mood among delegates was one of challenge and failure.
Where success stories were discussed, the negative aspects overshadowed the lessons that municipalities could apply to better their communities. Though delegates heard a lot about Cape Town and how it progressed into a successfully hi-tech city, there was little mention of Tshwane, Johannesburg and possibly Durban, and what they have done to become 'smart`.
Where success stories were discussed, the negative aspects overshadowed the lessons that municipalities could apply to better their communities.
Nkuli Mngcungusa, trainee journalist
While Cape Town`s success is impressive, I suspect it has the kind of ample resources that make such projects achievable. Which is probably not the case in poverty-stricken rural municipalities.
It would have been good to see experts passing on lessons, alternatives and innovative ideas that could be taken home and applied to smaller, poorer towns to help them keep up with the ever-changing world of ICT.
The delegates spent a lot of time complaining, highlighting problems with issues like finance and infrastructure. So it was heartening to see the Development Bank of South Africa presenting strategies on finance, and explaining the proper procedures for municipalities to address their finance issues.
Black Information Technology Forum (BITF) Free State branch chairman Morena Ntsika outlined how, after seeing Telkom assist the SmartCape Access Point System, the BITF approached Telkom for assistance in starting up a similar project in Bloemfontein. This is what we need to hear more often.
Perhaps in future participants should be asked to highlight successes and challenges in equal measure, so that others can learn from them and easily apply it in their own municipalities.
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