The newly-revived Department of Communications (DOC) has prioritised its major projects involving e-skills, rural ICT development and e-health initiatives by fast-tracking the finalisation of these projects to March 2011.
Speaking yesterday at a press conference at the DOC's offices, in Pretoria, newly-appointed communications minister Roy Padayachie stated the DOC cannot function as an entity in isolation from the people it is there to serve.
He committed the DOC to working faster, harder and smarter, and highlighted key projects the department will focus on delivering by March next year.
Rural ICT development
Padayachie explained the department recognises that the big challenges facing government, particularly as it relates to the ICT sector's role in rural areas, are the inaccessibility of appropriate ICT infrastructure to the majority of people, as well as the affordability of ICT services, such as broadband and Internet connections.
The department will finalise the ICT rural development strategy by March next year, he stated.
The implementation of the strategies will see the further roll-out of an additional 90 digital hubs throughout the country in under-served areas.
The DOC will also support the establishment of 23 new e-cooperatives with a focus on unemployed youth graduates recruited from rural areas, and the finalisation of an e-commerce portal for small-scale farmers to ensure online trading of agricultural products during the financial year 2011/12.
In addition, 19 low-power transmitters will be built to afford about five million inhabitants access to television services, he explained.
Healthy boost
Regarding the development of the e-health connectivity plan and the establishment of national health network infrastructure, Padayachie again committed to the finalisation and submission to Cabinet by March 2011.
The plan is being discussed with stakeholders in the health sector and human development cluster of government. In support of the integrated infrastructure planning, this initiative is aligned with other connectivity initiatives, especially in relation to education.
Padayachie explains that a process is under way to have the e-Skills Institute established as a legal entity and as an accredited educational institution of higher learning.
“The following three to five months will see the implementation of three e-SI Regional Knowledge Production Hubs; the ICT knowledge and infrastructure design to support virtual offerings; curriculum development, including e-skills for digital inclusion; e-skills for rural development; e-skills for e-democracy; e-skills for business; e-skills for teaching and learning,” he stated.
“It is our desire that the DOC will understand and implement a culture of public service that is selfless and capable of sacrifice, knowing where people live, what they want and be ever ready to commit to delivery of the best service our people want,” concluded Padayachie.
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