Telecommunications services can have a “multiplier effect” on South Africa’s development as the country looks to tackle unemployment, poverty and inequality, according to new minister of telecommunications and postal services Dr Siyabonga Cwele.
HumanIPO reported last week South African president Jacob Zuma announced Cabinet appointments for his second term in office, creating a new Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal Services with former state security minister Cwele at its helm.
Speaking at the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day celebration in Orange Farm, Cwele said it was commonly acknowledged telecommunications was becoming even more essential for the economic, social and cultural development of society.
“Telecommunications has a multiplier effect on our development, and the socio-economic development of this country is immense,” he said. “The key challenges facing our country are unemployment, poverty and inequality. We therefore cannot confine the interpretation of broadband to communication systems as it has to have economic and social value. Broadband is a critical element in ensuring that ICTs are used innovatively as delivery vehicles for health, education, governance, trade and commerce in order to achieve sustainable socio-economic growth.”
He said there was a “limitless” opportunity to utilise telecommunications to improve sectors such as education and business, which was recognised by the key status of broadband access in the country’s National Development Plan (NDP).
“Broadband is increasingly regarded as an enabling technology that promises wide-ranging social and economic benefits by changing the way we learn, work, use our leisure time, communicate and govern ourselves,” he said.
Cwele said, however, “severe weaknesses” persist in South Africa’s business and innovation ecosystems, leading to low positive economic and social impacts.
“Addressing these weaknesses, not only by developing a more solid ICT infrastructure but also by improving the framework conditions for innovation and entrepreneurship are crucial to avoid the emergence of a new digital divide that will be evident in a disparity of the economic and social impacts associated with what has been called the digital revolution,” he said.
Cwele said the government was addressing infrastructure challenges by focusing on development at a project level, and had launched individual Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs), some of which focus on communications services, specifically the rollout of broadband and digital migration. Affordability, according to Cwele, is also key.
“As we strive to provide universal access to broadband and all related ICT services, especially to the poor and underprivileged communities, we remain aware that affordability is always an important inhibiting factor in our quest for universal access to broadband and ICTs in general. In this regard government has been putting policy interventions in place to lower the cost to communicate. Our commitment to increase uptake and usage by society is underscored by our support of ICASA’s efforts to lower the mobile termination rates.”
He said skills development was also crucial if South Africa was to maximise the benefits of broadband.
“To make sure that no-one is left out of this information society we need to eradicate illiteracy and make sure that broadband forms an integral part of service delivery by government,” Cwele said. “The department has been working with industry on a capacity development programme in schools and communities at large and we encourage further support from industry in this regard.”
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