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Provincial ministers of ICT could solve local government budget constraints

By ForgeAhead
Johannesburg, 15 May 2006

The South African government faces a variety of issues in delivering on its mandate to provide services to citizens efficiently. Many of these issues could be overcome through the more effective use of ICT, but this in itself poses further challenges. This has led to a call for the appointment of an ICT Minister at provincial level to oversee all ICT related issues faced by the South African Local Government.

According to ForgeAhead, an independent ICT research and consulting company, one of the biggest challenges facing Local Government is the issue of budgetary constraints. "Our research shows that in general senior managers lack the required confidence in ICTs` ability to improve service delivery due to the difficulties faced in showing a direct return on investment," says Jane Mosebi, managing director of ForgeAhead. "According to our respondents, this is one of the reasons why they are not receiving adequate budget allocation for ICT implementation."

Speaking at a workshop in Limpopo with the Department of Local and Provincial Government (DPLG), ForgeAhead suggested that part of the role a provincial ICT Minister would play, is that of lobbying for adequate funding to ensure that there is budget allocation for the implementation of ICTs. "Particularly at a Provincial and Local Government level a provincial ICT Minister would for example ensure that the Provinces and Municipalities get the funding they need to implement ICT to improve service delivery," says Mosebi. "We know that there are currently talks around this issue."

Mosebi further explains that as it stands, there is no single point of contact for the resolution of ICT issues and this results in insufficient ICT budgets. "When there is one point of contact lobbying for ICT budget at a national level, then we will be able to solve most of the provincial ICT challenges we are experiencing and further address issues about the budget allocated to local and provincial government," she says.

ForgeAhead`s recent ICT in Government Research shows that the ICT budget allocated for the various Limpopo Provincial Departments this financial year 2005/2006 ranges from R1 700 000 to R96 000 000. ICT projects that have been implemented include the development of the master systems plan (MSP), server consolidation and the implementation of the portal, intranet, provincial wide area network (WAN) and systems integration support plans.

William Nkuna, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Department of Provincial and Local Government (the dplg), says only about 20% of municipalities have implemented MSPs. He says that the challenge the dplg is facing with municipalities is that they have not clearly identified the role of SITA and therefore rely on vendors to provide solutions for them, thus spending more money than required. "There is a great need to establish the core of ICT skills to assist municipalities with ICT strategies and programmes- and that`s a role played by SITA and the ICT forum, with the help of the dplg."

ForgeAhead has now been challenged with the task of assisting the provinces by reviewing their Provincial Growth and Development and their Human Development Strategies to see what ICT interventions and skills they require. "The information we will be able to provide the provinces through this assessment will provide them with the knowledge they require to lobby for additional funds for ICT development," concludes Mosebi.

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The ICT in Government Programme

Now in its 5th year, ForgeAhead`s ICT in Government Programme has grown in strength from year to year, culminating in the formalisation of an ICT in Government community, representative of all stakeholder groups. It has become the most comprehensive industry reference of information and communications technology (ICT) in government for the African region and an essential tool for those interested in doing business with government. Through this programme, ForgeAhead has built formidable relationships at strategic points in Governments across Africa, both for ForgeAhead and its partners and is respected for the value and perspective it brings.

The ICT in Government Programme consists of two focus areas. The first comprises in-depth research into the dynamics of Government at a National and Provincial level and provides insight into what Government is doing from an ICT point of view. The research culminates in an annual International ICT in Government Summit. In addition to that, ForgeAhead publishes in-depth research reports on the findings of the research and hosts research consulting workshops on request. The second focus area is at a Local Government level and again includes in-depth research and a Local Government summit. A comprehensive handbook focusing on National, Provincial and Local Government will be released later this year.

ForgeAhead is a majority black, women owned ICT research and consulting house. The ForgeAhead brand reflects its diverse culture, as well as the fiercely independent spirit of an organisation wholly owned by individuals, who share a collective passion for the company and its customers. The ForgeAhead name typically explains the company as one that lives at the leading edge of new ICT trends and developments and supports our vision to be the de facto ICT Research and Consulting house of choice in Africa.

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