Africa’s ICT big shots to tackle digital change at GovTech

High-level government and other representatives from across Africa are set to attend the Government Technology (GovTech) conference in Durban next week. Together, they’ll deliberate on digitisation, digitalisation, and other topics critical for the acceleration of digital transformation and service delivery in the continent.

Under this year’s theme, “Digitisation and digitalisation: evolving government services,” the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and the department of communications and digital technologies will host GovTech from 13 to 15 September 2022 at the Durban Exhibition Centre.

The conference will be attended by more than 2 500 delegates, bringing together Africa’s ICT experts from the public and private sectors, as well as small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) to focus on ICT infrastructure development and how technology can enable efficient dispensing of government services.

Structured in various tracks and topics, the conference programme will provide options to delegates to participate in various streams and contribute towards reshaping the ICT agenda in Africa.

A number of panel and roundtable discussions are scheduled. This includes a discussion on creating an enabling policy environment for SMMEs, and how technology is shaping education for economic and social development.

Digital inclusion will also be on the agenda with delegates deliberating on what it would take to get every citizen and every government service online. Collaboration for an African backhaul and data centres infrastructure ecosystem, and leveraging the potential of digitalisation and disruptive technologies for improving government services will also be high on the agenda.

Several private and public sector experts have been invited. Some of the ministers invited include South Africa’s minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga, and Zambia’s minister of science and technology, Felix Mutati.

GovTech, which has been held for 14 years, is the brainchild of SITA.

Molatlhegi Kgauwe, the acting managing director for SITA, said through innovation and SMME development, digital technologies open up new avenues for economic prosperity, innovation, job creation, and service access and the more SMMEs are exposed to these infrastructures, the wider the net of opportunities is cast.

“Besides people, infrastructure is the bedrock and the backbone of a country. The synergy between infrastructure development and information technology is critical to enable rapid progress, to leverage opportunities, and to provide solutions to the country and nation’s most pressing challenges.”

As the digital world grows bigger, through cybersecurity, the governments have to ensure that citizens can conduct business, communicate, and interact in a safe, agile, flexible and secure environment.

“Ultimately the aim is digital Inclusion and collaboration to enable the continent – wide connectivity and solutions, and to provide skills and service delivery to all so that Africa and indeed South Africa is positioned as a leader of service delivery; in the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Kgauwe.

Online registrations are now accepted.

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