ICT development lags

The Presidency claims it has made progress in its economic recovery plans for SA - but fails to provide any insight into the development of ICT projects in the country.

Earlier this year, the department released its Medium-Term Strategy Framework, which served as the foremost frame of reference outlining the government's policy.

While the document lays out key government priorities and outlines the role of technology in industrial policy, social infrastructure and improving services - government's progress report reveals ICT plans are lagging behind other initiatives.

While the framework was criticised for excluding broadband, business process outsourcing and green IT, it was also praised for having good intentions for ICT progress in the country.

Government's public investment programme, which was revealed earlier this year, includes expansions and improvements in several sectors, including ICT, education and health infrastructure.

The project also included what action government would take to realise goals set out in the framework. Vital initiatives have been allocated to key departments and strict deadlines will be monitored.

The framework identified the usage of ICT, and science and technological innovation and development as key in its goals to improve and sustain economic growth.

While several government sectors, including the departments of science and technology, communications and health previously reported that their specific ICT projects were under way, the Presidency noted these projects are not part of government's major investment programmes.

The Department of Communications is drawing up a broadband policy and cost-effective funding model for the roll-out of high-speed broadband infrastructure, while the DST has been tasked with ensuring institutions, which support technology development, are fully operational by November 2010, among other tasks.

The biggest mention of ICT was in relation to the small and medium enterprise (SME) hotline, which was unveiled in September. The service, operated by Seda, aimed to fast-track payments to small businesses and ensure payment within 30 days of invoice.

President Jacob Zuma noted that, since the opening of the hotline on 21 September, it had assisted 1 821 callers with non-payment queries for government departments or public sector institutions.

Zuma added that technical assistance and improving access to technology for small business would also be addressed. These processes were still the subject of a mandating process and details would be available at a later stage, he noted.