by Dr. Rob Davies, minister of Trade and Industry.
Nearly a decade ago, the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) began to actively engage in the development of the information communications technology and electronics sector (ICT&E). The broad objectives were to grow the ICT&E industry to increase employment, broaden participation, encourage exports and promote small business development in this important sector. The initial emphasis was on ICT, subsequently expanded to include the whole electro-technical sector as defined by the DTI (ICT, electronics and electrical engineering).
To include this expansion, the DTI, through the Customised Sector Programme methodology (CSP), developed a strategy document for the South African electro-technical sector with particular reference to:
Improvement of global competitiveness
Enhancement of exports
Attraction of local and foreign investments
Maintenance and creation of new employment
Encouraging greater participation by black people.
The CSP confirmed that the strengths of the sector in South African sector exist primarily in niche product development that adapts to changing market requirements and technology development (in particular for medium to small production runs), as well as complex systems of engineering and integration (providing complete solutions to problems through combining hardware, software and networks), in particular in the power, security, defence, avionics (aerospace), and telecommunications sub-sectors as well as in automotive electronics . Therefore the DTI works with a number of stakeholders to institute sector-specific programmes to harness these areas of work.
For instance, the DTI currently supports two flagship programmes in ICT & E sectors. Firstly, the South African Vanguard of Technology (SAVANT) web portal, launched in 2003, with an initial contribution by both government and industry. SAVANT has become the voice of the sector both locally and internationally, collaborating capacity-building amongst businesses. More importantly, it serves as an information portal for both the public and private sector. Secondly, the DTI supports the capability maturity model integration (CMMI) process improvement model. Through EU donor financial support, local experts are trained by the Johnnesburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon of the United States to provide support for organisations wishing to adopt the internationally accepted CMMI process improvement model. This programme assists organisations to improve the quality of software produced in the country and the ability to run development projects on time and within agreed budgets, thereby improving competitiveness. The DTI has committed R5,42-million to this project over the next year.
In the global knowledge economy, the creation, codification and diffusion of knowledge is a driver of national growth and competitiveness and certainly the ICT&E sector is a rapidly growing sector in South Africa, enjoying an important place in the National Industry Policy Framework (NIPF) and annual Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP). As the DTI, we are therefore keen to enhance cooperation and coordination in a sector that remains too fragmented.
