ICT in Government

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ICT in Government

• 31 July 2008

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Discussion Items

• Status of ICT in Local and Provincial Government
• Where we need to be
• How to get there!

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1. Provincial and Local Govt
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Provincial Gov ICT

• Centralised as a shared service for 12 Depts
• Move towards e-Government
• Challenges with Governance and standards
• Budgetary constraints
• Skills shortage

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E-Government Initiatives
Social Exclusion
Services
Public Administration

• Must Be Supported By
• Political by-in
• Enabling infrastructure
• Regulatory framework
• People and skills

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A Citizen-Centred Service Strategy
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Local Gov ICT

• 5 District Municipalities
• Unequal IT spend
• Lack of standards - e.g. branding for websites
• Governance structures
• ICT often not seen as strategic
• Infrastructure

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IT Spend/Budget
Provincial vs Local IT spend
Local Gov IT Spend
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Public Service Improvement

• If we agree that ICT is essential in government
  transformation then we must note that
• Current ICT use not optimal
• Poor infrastructure
• No economies of scale
• Skills scarcity

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2. Where we need to be
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Emergent Themes

• Need to elevate strategic importance of ICT in
  both Provincial and Local Gov
• Need collaboration and sharing of resources
• Need a supportive infrastructure (connectivity
  abundant bandwidth)

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ICT as a strategic enabler

• Both Provincial and Local Gov must see ICT as key
• Not just computers and email.
• Municipal IT structure budget to support this
• E-Government to begin the transformation
• Inter-operability
• Open standards
• Frameworks
• Broadband Connectivity

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Why e-Government

• Increase visibility of IT and enabler
• Drive interoperability ? collaboration open
  standards

Free Government Software
Governance
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Free Govt Software
Free Software Ecosystem
SourceJose C. Cusnir
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Infrastructure

• The Wireless Regime
• Telecommunications Act ? Electronic
  Communications Act

• Public Switched Telecommunication Services
• Mobile Cellular Telco Services
• International Telco Gateway Services
• Multimedia Services
• Under serviced area services
• Value Added Network Services (VANS)
• Private Telco Network Services

• Electronic Communications Network Services
• Electronic Communication Services
• Broadcasting Services

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What does this mean?

• Class license vs individual license
• Who gets a ECNS or ECS
• Rights of Way (chpt 4)
• What happens if VANS become ECNS licensees?
• The right to construct on any land
• The use of underground conduits
• Height and depth of equipment

Source Lisa Thornton Inc
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Getting there
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Why is all of this important?

• The Single Public Service
• Collaboration and efficiency will help
• There are finite resources
• Need to share and collaborate

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Thank You

• Fidel Mbhele