The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) has signed a three-year enterprise and supply development strategy to drive transformation and advancement of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in the ICT sector.
This is according to SITA chairperson Zukile Nomvete, who made the announcement yesterday to kick-start day one of the annual government technology (GovTech) conference taking place in Durban.
GovTech 2017, which is held under the theme of unlocking possibilities to build a functional society, focuses on digitally transforming societies, spearheading the e-enablement of government and SMME participation.
According to Nomvete, the role and contribution of SMMEs is critical to diversify and grow the ICT sector, especially in a country that is struggling with low economic growth.
"We appreciate the open-mindedness of the organisers of this conference to deliberately target and consciously incorporate SMMEs as part of this event."
Nomvete told the audience that government should be instrumental in driving digitalisation, especially to address historical legacy issues of resource allocation, accessibility and affordability.
The different spheres of society are called upon to identify problems, agonise over the solutions and creatively invest in deriving the best ICT solutions to digitalise government processes and operations, he said.
"This philosophy is central for our e-government programme to modernise the public service and breed new government workers that target problem areas with solution-focused vigour.
"Infrastructure modernisation remains a key strategic objective of SITA and a business priority for government with the intention to reduce downtime, expedite services and secure integrity of government data."
Commenting on SITA's achievements, Nomvete said the agency has partnered with communities to identify talent, advance ICT skills and build a skills pipeline inclusive of enterprise support and development.
As part of building a high-performance organisation and a responsive public service, SITA has redefined its competency landscape and proceeded to focus on technical training and other interventions, he stated. "This we do to develop and breed a new kind of public servant that will respond creatively to the socio-economic challenges which are a hindrance to service delivery."
Nomvete implored private and public sector delegates to use the time during the conference to actively engage with one another to find working solutions that will help to improve service delivery.
GovTech is taking place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre and will run until Wednesday.
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