The Government IT Officers (GITO) council, which was created to serve as an IT co-ordination and consolidation vehicle in government, is looking to form strategic partnerships with government agencies, the business sector and any other bodies related to the ICT sector in order to help it meet its objectives.
The council, which was involved in the investigation, formulation and development of an IT security policy framework, e-government policy and strategy, and IT procurement guidelines, says one of the key objectives in the coming years is to make sure its work is aligned with other structures. The key objective is to help SA become a producer of ICT products and services, rather than simply being a consumer, it says.
All stakeholders, including those involved in research and development, human resource and skills development, budget allocation and financial management, as well as the ICT business sector, need to share information and work towards a common goal, says the council's newly-appointed chairman Mmamathe Makhekhe-Mokhuane.
However, one of the key challenges the council faces is that it has not communicated its plans and activities effectively with stakeholders in the past, she says.
"A lot of people seem to know and understand what the GITO council should do or not do, whereas we as the council have not told them what we think we should be doing and how we should be doing it, or whether we have the capacity and the resources to deliver on our mandate," she says.
New focus
The council has also regularly fallen short of meeting its annual objectives, and timelines for work plans have been moved, Makhekhe-Mokhuane says. As a result, it has also been accused of not having teeth.
At a strategic planning session held last week, the council evaluated each of its objectives and determined whether it has the resources and skills to meet them, she says.
"In the past, the council has taken on too much work without taking into consideration the fact that the members already have day-to-day responsibilities as CIOs of their respective provinces," she says.
The council will, therefore, focus on specific, realistic goals and will have a budget allocated for them, Makhekhe-Mokhuane notes.
The allocation of funds provides further motivation for the council to deliver on its mandate, as all government institutions are required to spend what budgets have been assigned to them, she adds.
Strategic partnerships, as well as effective communication of GITO council plans and activities, are of critical importance going forward, she says.
"We cannot afford to say or do something contrary to what other institutions, such as the Department of Public Service and Administration, the Department of Communications and the Presidential National Commission, are saying or doing," she says.
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