Phosa says innovation the key to success in the public sector

Dr Mathews Phosa, non-executive chairman of EOH, one of South Africa`s largest consulting, technology and outsourcing companies, says South Africa still needs to do more work if we are to reach our goal of making the country an international leader in innovation and learning.

Speaking at a joint function with the School of Management at the University of the Free State, Phosa says developing a knowledge-based community is vital as it will form the basis of South Africa`s innovation agenda.

Phosa was hosting an EOH event promoting a newly formed alliance between EOH, the UFS School of Management and government. Acknowledging that there is a need for collaboration between the public and private sectors with tertiary institutions, EOH formed the alliance to support social and economic development within the region as well as assist the government to meet its objectives.

Phosa says that to ultimately meet the goal of improving innovation, the focus should be on improving research, development and commercialisation. One way to do this is to establish relationships between the people who innovate and the universities/colleges/research institutions.

"The EOH alliance is a good example and will work at both government and university level to make a real difference. By addressing grass root issues such as practical and relevant education, we are in effect working towards building a nation of innovators."

Government has a mandate to improve services but requires assistance in terms of IT knowledge and resources. EOH believes that by working with the UFS School of Management as well as government, it will help bridge the gap and make a significant difference," says Dion Ramoo, Executive Director, EOH.

Ramoo says EOH has been working closely with government assisting them to operationalise their strategy. By identifying the needs, EOH is able to work with the UFS School of Management to provide the necessary training and support for its students, which can then be utilised by government. "It is simply about ensuring the effective, efficient and economical use of limited resources, whilst boosting social and economic development."

Agreeing with the sentiment and plan, Phosa says South Africa has accomplished a great deal. "Macro-economic policies and strategic investments are now paying off for South Africans but we still have a long way to go. The key now is to move from discussion and consensus to action that will position us to achieve our goal."

Action is what the alliance is all about. Together, EOH, the UFS School of Management and government, aim to build stronger capacity and skills within government; strengthen the cluster system for more integrated planning and improved socio-economic development; facilitate the process of decentralisation of service delivery to districts and local municipalities; and improve government performance, not only to deal with inefficiencies, under-spending and corruption, but also to improve service delivery to the poor.