Public servcie and administration minister Lindiwe Sisulu emphasised the importance of industry partnerships with government in achieving satisfactory entry into the global information society.
Speaking at the 7th annual GovTech conference this morning, the minister said it is trite to say ICT has become so central to individuals, the state and industry players.
"We have had to embrace it in order to embrace our future. Over the last 20 to 25 years, the technology insertion into the processes of production information has changed how we live and how government runs its affairs."
She added that this forced government to think about how it harnesses this reality to improve its work.
"As a government we have long recognised that we cannot do this on our own and today we all understand that this is a mutual recognition."
The theme of GovTech 2012, on in Duran this week, is 'ICT Collaboration - Across and Beyond Government'.
Sisulu said this throws a challenge to all stakeholders to work together in harnessing ICTs to support government's national service delivery plan. "GovTech promotes the message that we are in this together."
Eager partner
Sisulu said SA has an enterprising government with a "burning desire to turn back the clock of so many years of underdevelopment".
She added that industry will be hard pressed to find a more eager partner.
"You, the industry, are at the right place at the right time. Indeed, all you need to do is stay right there as the doors of the region and the continent open to you. We, for our part, have years to roll back and we can only do it with willing partners.
"Partners who share our mission as a developmental state. Partners who understand the incredible odds we face - that, at this critical juncture of our government we have so much still to do to deliver to our people, with resources that are strained by the global financial environment we operate in, our own budgetary constraints with huge spending in social infrastructure, while trying to hold up a crumbling physical infrastructure."
Lack of coherent view
The minister said e-government is a leading challenge. It must bring people and services together more effectively.
She noted that the SA government was recently given its second e-government award by the United Nations.
"Competing against 471 nominations from 80 United Nations member states, our award is an extremely significant milestone for ourselves as government, for the political leadership given and for the government-wide institutional arrangement through SITA [State IT Agency]."
However, Sisulu also said the current government ICT landscape is encumbered by poor documentation, lack of a single repository of citizen data, and no coherent view of national departments or provincial government.
"Individual national departments have not documented their environments efficiently. ICT maturity is uneven. Some departments and provinces are more sophisticated than others. In terms of capability and maturity, the majority of departments could be rated as basic with little or no automation in the environment."
Weak intervention
She said it is these points that highlight to the industry what challenges government faces and in which areas the need for partnerships arises.
"The pivotal word for us is affordability. This partnership with yourselves is based on our reality, that only with yourselves would we harness the benefits of the ICT revolution."
She explained that the latest assessment of government performance by the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation showed IT as the weakest intervention.
ICT-illiterate officials
Sisulu highlighted the great need for cost reduction when it comes to ICTs.
She added that SITA's rationale is to reduce government spending by sharing resources across the departments. "Cost reduction drove us in the direction we took. Cost reduction should not be too far in the recesses of our minds at all times, as we forge ahead."
The minister also highlighted the need for ICT skills development amongst public officials.
"ICT-illiterate senior managers are obstacles to the optimum use of ICTs, while at the same time unmanaged whiz kids can lead us down a pathof fruitless expenditure and lack of empowerment of the same civil servants.
"The main challenge that faces us therefore is our ability to insert the technology into our everyday performance."
She said partnerships are needed with companies that can offer students internships.
"I am convinced we cannot rest until there is universal access in public schools and a pool of ICT competent children, or else what we discuss here is superficial."
She reiterated that the ICT industry is a multi-billion rand sector and key to socio-economic development in the country. "Improved and sustainable relationships must be established between the industry and government to ensure that the contribution from this sector is maximised.
Mobile exploit
Sisulu mentioned SA's drop in ICT ranking, saying it raises serious doubts around its competitiveness and its ability to improve citizens' lives.
"ICT's have become critical to strengthening the economy, enriching citizens' lives in the health and education sectors; providing citizen-centred services and improving the country's global competitiveness."
She also said an unfortunate reality is that SA has not taken full advantage of its massive mobile technology penetration to increase its capacity to deliver vital information to citizens in disadvantaged communities.
"Apart from a handful of mobile-based initiatives, not enough has been done to exploit the mobile technology."
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