ICT - Information & Communication Technology

South africa’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector is the largest on the continent and ranks 37th in the world in the 2008 IT industry competitiveness index released by The Economist intelligence unit.

 ICT infrastructure In early 2008, the Finnish government pledged €12-million (R150-million) to the development of ICT infrastructure in South Africa. This incredible contribution is part of Finland’s development aid and will be invested over three years in various ICT projects in South Africa.

The Northern Cape and Limpopo were identified as being forerunners in ‘informationsociety development’ and will, therefore, be the recipients of a large percentage of the pledge. This pledge recognises the stellar work being done in the province in terms of increasing access to ICT and will provide a welcome boost for similar efforts in the future.

A Human Sciences Research Council study in 2007 showed that, while the Northern Cape has by far the fewest schools of South Africa’s nine provinces, as many as 91% of those have computers available to learners.

 This figure is only bettered in the Western Cape and Gauteng, and suggests that the next generation of school leavers in the Northern Cape will be computerliterate and perhaps even interested in careers in ICT development. South Africa has recognised the importance of Internet connectivity, especially its importance in allowing local businesses to be internationally competitive.

With this in mind, and with the 2010 Fifa World Cup in view, national government has embarked on two major ICT initiatives in particular: the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) and the West Africa Cable System (WACS). By the time these highbandwidth fibre-optic cables are completed (scheduled for 2010 and 2011 respectively), South Africa’s available bandwidth will have been increased by more than 120 times, from just 80 gigabits per second in 2008 to a projected 10 terabits in 2011.

 The two cables represent an investment of some US$800-million in Africa’s information infrastructure. ICT in the Northern Cape The Northern Cape was chosen as a pilot province for the presidential project on ICT in South Africa. The ICT sector has been identified as having the potential to create jobs, and so national and provincial government are working hard to sustain its development, even in the most scarcely populated regions of South Africa.

 A progressive ICT sector will also influence other sectors, such as business-process outsourcing and financial services, and will have a marked effect on the provincial economy in general.

 





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