The new state-owned information technology company, arivia.kom, was officially launched in Sandton this week. It was formed as a result of the successful merger between ITS, the IT division of Eskom; Datavia, the IT division of Transnet; and Ariel Technologies, the IT division of Denel.
The Minister of Public Enterprises, Jeff Radebe, said in his address at the launch: "Developed economies currently dominate in every category of information and communication technology (ICT), ranging from levels of expertise, patents and copyrights registered each year, availability of ICT infrastructure and the deployment of applications used to reap full benefits of digital technologies."
[VIDEO]The minister notes: "This company has a potential to dramatically widen the circle of digital opportunity and allows us to harness the power of digital technologies to increase productivity and global competitiveness as we move rapidly to a digitally inclusive society.
"The birth of arivia.kom was a product of concerted efforts in government to extract the embedded values and synergies in its significant IT infrastructure within State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) - specifically Eskom, Transnet and Denel. The overriding objective was to leverage these IT capabilities to accelerate service delivery, promote effective black economic empowerment, reduce input costs and make digital technologies the dynamo that drives our economy."
Says Mr Radebe: "When we unveiled the policy framework on the accelerated agenda of restructuring SOEs, we singled out this project as one of our key deliverables and milestones to be measured against. arivia.kom is geared to deliver enhanced value propositions to customers and dramatically improve supply chain efficiencies in the burgeoning IT industry."
The Minister adds: "Outside these SOEs, the State established a State Information Technology Act (SITA) through an Act of Parliament (No. 1324. 16 October 1998), as the information systems facility of the State chiefly responsible for management and execution of IT services and related work for, and on behalf of, the Government.
"Thus, we see both these IT companies playing a complementary role in ensuring that Government is sufficiently capable of harnessing the power of digital technologies in addressing its social and economic objectives.
"The giant leap we take today will be one which sets us on the path to achieving full benefits of digital prosperity, lift more families out of poverty and help us to close the digital divide. Our dream is to ensure that every South African has the opportunity to become technologically literate, with access to cutting edge skills at their fingertips. This will create a flourishing information society which spans disciplines like medicine, agriculture, manufacturing, mining and education needs - thereby improving quality of life while contributing to economic growth."
Chief Executive Officer of arivia.kom, Zeth Malele, says: "arivia.kom has emerged triumphant after a long and challenging process. Although we have made tremendous progress, we are also on the brink of a new set of challenges."
[VIDEO]"For now, there is the ongoing process of integrating our systems and business processes, as well as the impressive skills of our people into one cohesive and powerful force offering capabilities which cover the full spectrum of today`s business environment - from the design and provision of enabling infrastructure, to solutions for the management of business processes in many sectors of the economy."
Malele says: "We will leverage the economies of scale which the merger offers, to ensure continuity is retained, while at the same time identifying new resources which can be brought into play to provide customers with additional competitive advantages.
"As an organisation, we have the opportunity to achieve our goal, which is to be a force in the local, regional and global IT markets, as we build an IT powerhouse in South Africa - an innovative company with the skills and commitment to play a vital role in our country and beyond our borders."
[VIDEO]arivia.kom delivers IT services to a wide range of industries and market sectors through its three focus areas, namely: infrastructure business, focussed business solutions and eVentures. It has a national presence, with offices in most of the major business centres.
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