IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The homeland of Skype and Bolt has Europe’s highest number of technology start-ups per capita

In this edition of the Business Day Spotlight, we talk about the benefits of e-government and e-residency in Estonia. Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid.

Formerly part of the Soviet Union, Estonia is a northern European country that has risen to become a formidable force in the digital world, both in the public and private sectors. It has the highest number of technology start-ups per capita of any European country, having bred companies such as video communication service Skype and e-hailing platform Bolt (formerly Taxify).

This puts the country behind many of the developing nations in the old European eastern bloc, but ahead of all of its Southern African neighbours.

According to the report: “The Southern African region showed little improvement from the 2005 survey. Most of the countries surveyed had a lower ranking in 2005 than in 2008. South Africa continues to lead in this region followed by Lesotho. Botswana experienced a major drop of 29 places declining from being ranked 90th in 2005 to 119th in 2008.”

This was revealed by the Department of Communication's (DOC's) new eBarometer tool that measures the progress of SA's uptake and usage of ICT.

The department says this tool is a first for SA and will assist in analysing the country's e-readiness. It launched the eBarometer yesterday.

“Government needs to be informed of the impact of the ICT initiatives across multiple sectors within the country.”

eGovernment today is changing the quality of service delivery to people around the world But is South Africa on track?

In its forthcoming CA IT Management Symposium* scheduled to take place on the 25th February at Vodaworld in Johannesburg, CA Southern Africa will explore the challenges faced by the public sector and unveil the solutions necessary for successful eGovernment.

Now is the opportune moment to drive grassroots digitisation within SA’s economic and social structures, says Ryan Jamieson, CTO at Altron Karabina.

Although it is undeniably difficult to look back to February 2020 while still in the midst of a global pandemic, reflection can, in fact, reveal the many positive developments (and lessons) that the crisis has brought.

South Africa lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to embracing the digital economy. There are five critical areas we need to address to bring us up to speed.

UCT Vice-Chancellor’s Virtual Open Lecture on 15 July 2020, Colin Coleman, the former Goldman Sachs CEO for sub-Saharan Africa, laid out a “10-point action plan” for South Africa. One of his action-plan points is “introducing an e-government initiative to transform and modernise the public service, making South Africa a capable country, with a smart and capable state”.

According to a developer of the technology, a fingerprint reader would achieve two goals for vulnerable individuals who have to make a monthly trek to draw their social benefits.

The IAB SA has kick-started a campaign for all South Africans to have free basic access to the Internet. As the right to information is one of our constitutional rights, it follows that South Africans should have the ability to access this information freely.

Free Internet access for all South Africans should be a basic human right Chris Borain, chair of the IAB SA, says, “We believe in fostering digital equality among all citizens. While Icasa is taking great strides to address the high cost of data, a basic level of free Internet access is a separate issue that requires as much attention. All South Africans, especially vulnerable groups and those without access to mobile phones, have the right to access information online, from government services, employment opportunities or online education resources.”

Small towns are reaping the benefits of having free internet access, whilst large metropolitan cities appear to be lagging behind.

Stellenbosch residents will soon be able to access wireless internet in the city after the service went live on Friday. Though still in a trial phase, free Wi-Fi is currently available at the town centre and will run for two to three weeks before extending the network to the greater Stellenbosch area.

The colloquium will be held at Gallagher Estate in Midrand on 19 and 20 April and is meant as the start of a process of reviewing all of government’s ICT policies.

News of the planned event comes just days after a new World Economic Forum report was published showing SA is performing particularly poorly as a connected nation, ranking behind Tunisia and Mauritius in Africa and placing 72nd in the world.

• South Africa's G20 Presidency has set its agenda for digital public infrastructure (DPI) and AI.
• Yielding DPI's benefits depends on how countries design and implement it.
• The UNDP is partnering with South Africa’s G20 Presidency to advance action on DPI and AI for the Sustainable Development Goals.

Digital technologies hold immense potential for economies’ long-term development. South Africa, through its G20 Presidency, is seizing this transformative opportunity to prioritize digital public infrastructure (DPI) and artificial intelligence (AI), both critical enablers of digital transformation, on this year’s G20 digital agenda.

In a country where textbooks are routinely not delivered to thousands of schools, public hospitals are struggling to keep running and millions live in poverty, information and communications technology (ICT) might not seem like a priority. But the department of communications, which oversees ICT, is doing incalculable long-term damage to our economy.

In a recent presentation to Parliament, Communications Minister Dina Pule listed the ministry's top five priorities for ICT as "broadband, broadcasting digital migration, e-skills, the successful launch of Postbank, and an information and communications technology (ICT) policy review".

In a country where textbooks are routinely not delivered to thousands of schools, public hospitals are struggling to keep running and millions live in poverty, information and communications technology (ICT) might not seem like a priority. But the department of communications, which oversees ICT, is doing incalculable long-term damage to our economy.

In a recent presentation to Parliament, Communications Minister Dina Pule listed the ministry’s top five priorities for ICT as “broadband, broadcasting digital migration, e-skills, the successful launch of Postbank, and an information and communications technology (ICT) policy review”.

The lack of adequate IT systems across government has been cited as a key obstacle to service delivery, and the reason behind several adverse findings in the auditor-general's (AG's) latest general report, on National Audit Outcomes, by a risk management consultant.

According to the report, of the 38 national departments audited all had “findings” related to IT service continuity; 92% did not fully comply with user-access management controls; 81% did not have full security management systems in place; and 79% did not have a complete IT governance framework.

The Artificial Intelligence Institute of SA will host an international seminar on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the design of digital identities (IDs) in South Africa.

The seminar is one of a number of catalytic projects of the recently-launched institute, which is located within the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

As South Africa’s smart city agenda gathers momentum, the focus is shifting from headline-grabbing technology projects to more inclusive, data-driven approaches that improve everyday urban life. Morag Evans, CEO of Databuild, tells us how smart cities should be defined less by gadgets and more by governance, integration and intelligent use of information to deliver sustainable, people-centred outcomes in the built environment.

In recent years, the term ‘smart city’ has become a buzzword attached to various developments across the country. But what does it really mean? Contrary to popular belief, a smart city is not defined by how much technology has been installed. It is defined by how well that city uses information, infrastructure and institutions to improve the lives of people who live and work there.