Government's technology access programmes will prioritise health and education over the coming years as it aims to meet SA's broadband plan objectives, according to telecoms and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele.
The minister was speaking to delegates at the GovTech conference, hosted by the State IT Agency (SITA) in Durban today. He said SA "must extract the maximum value for every rand invested in broadband infrastructure and services in order to accelerate service delivery". Dubbed 'SA Connect', the broadband initiative has an ambitious target of 100% broadband penetration by 2020.
"Part of the vision is enabling elderly citizens to use affordable smart devices in their homes which are connected to broadband, and this could go as far as monitor their vital signs to simultaneously update health professionals," said Cwele.
He added the growth of e-learning facilities is a long-term priority aimed at boosting skills and creating an "information society".
Cwele said SITA is entrusted with ensuring the security and integrity of government data. The agency recently outlined plans to drastically improve its service provision to create an integrated government data hub across numerous departments.
Momentum in KZN
Ravi Pillay, KwaZulu-Natal's MEC for human settlements and public works, said e-learning emphasis in the provinces had focused on creating numerous technology hubs across different regions.
"The province has created 12 digital hubs, which are run by new small, medium and micro enterprises. Our target is to create around 200 ICT hubs around the province over the coming years," said Pillay.
Meanwhile, SITA board chairman Jerry Vilakazi said technology must underpin SA's aims to reindustrialise the economy. "The country has identified reindustrialisation as an important factor for our economy to flourish, and ongoing dialogue between the private and public sector will be key to making sure this happens."
Vilakazi added that finding ways to enhance locally-developed technology infrastructure and solutions is pivotal to any industrialisation plans.
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