Huawei officials underlined the benefits of a smart connected city at the 2019 Shenzhen Smart City Forum, with rapid progress being made in how cities collect and use bid data.
The forum aims to promote communication and cooperation in building smart, digital cities, with MMC for economic development at City of Johannesburg, Leah Knott, attending the event, held at the Shangri-La Hotel Shenzhen on Tuesday.
South Africa is left with 10 years to achieve the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 Goals. These will remain a guide for the next government in terms of areas that need attention. The plan is in place and, therefore, there’s more of a need for implementation.
The country has a unique opportunity to use technology to achieve its goals in the next 10 years. This is what Estonia did to be ranked the second of all countries on the social progress index for personal and political rights.
As the 4IR becomes a reality, telecommunications is coming to the fore as a chief economic growth enabler for South Africa. The impact goes beyond the economic opportunities that the sector can create for citizens. We are moving into a future that will be enabled by telecommunications, and more specifically, Internet connectivity.
Connecting South Africa
Government has acknowledged it has a responsibility towards the country's citizens to ensure digital inclusivity for all. This is the basis for SA Connect, the country's national broadband policy, which highlights the need for an "enabling platform for economic enterprise, active citizenship, and social engagement innovation" that a telecommunications-supported digital ecosystem will make possible.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST), in partnership with the World Economic Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network (C4IR Network), has announced plans to establish an Affiliate Centre to prepare SA for the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
The centre, announced today by science and technology minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane in Pretoria, will be a hub for global multi-stakeholder cooperation to develop policy frameworks and advance collaborations that accelerate the benefits of science and technology, while shaping the development and application of emerging technologies.
Read more: Affiliate Centre will prepare South Africa for Industry 4.0
The Department of e-Government, the division focused on ICT and innovation in Gauteng, will receive R1.4 billion this year to fund key projects.
So said finance MEC Barbara Creecy, delivering the fifth and final budget of the current administration, as well as the medium-term projections for the next three years.
Read more: ZA: R1.4bn cash injection for Gauteng's e-government