African Leadership in ICT Needs Analysis South Africa - GeSCI

ICT for Science, Technology and Innovation
The South African science, technology and innovation system is evolving with a bifurcated
dynamics. The key challenge is to use the ICT infrastructure to reduce and eventually end this
bifurcation by harnessing the innovative capability of the economy as a whole an integrated
economy. This challenge remains and the ability for the various sectors and stakeholders to
work together in collaboration to bring about a productive use of the ICT revolution in South
Africa is a concern expressed by both senior and middle level officials as well as those in the
private, NGO and academic communities.
ICT application to promote broad based grass roots innovation at the community level by
encouraging various stakeholders such as Government, the private sector the education sector
to integrate actively their knowledge to transform from the bottom the communities to expand
the opportunities for skilled level job creation and services with jobs and services is critical
concern expressed by both middle level and senior officials in the interviews we had with them.
ICT can also stimulate the development of small and medium sized enterprises. The extent to
which small and medium sized enterprises apply ICT without running into difficulties has been
expressed both as a concern and opportunity. The need for expansion of mobile banking and
various types of services by the application of ICT has been addressed. There was concern that a
country like Kenya had more mobile telephone services than South Africa. ICT’s role in building
bottom up science and technology, converting indigenous knowledge into innovation and
building strong small and medium sized innovative and entrepreneurial sectors for poverty
reduction and job creation was highlighted as a common concern by all.
The significance of using ICT to stimulate innovation from the level of the community by a vast
expansion of small and medium sized enterprises is to counter the entitlement policy through
welfare to cope with poverty. Senior and middle level officials and private sector respondents all
emphasised that it is more sustainable to promote science and technology and innovation at the
local level by creating multi helices to generate an enterprise in South African economy with an
integrated national system of innovation.
Page 26 of 55
African Leadership in ICT, ALICT - http://www.gesci.org/african-leadership-in-ict-alict.html