Date: 05/12/2008

Source: Department of Science and Technology

Title: SA: Mangena: Address by the Minister of Science and Technology at the Intel Leadership Forum

Programme director
Management and organisers of the Intel Leadership Forum
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

If anyone was ever in any doubt as to where developments in information communication technology (ICTs) were leading, they only have to look at the results of last month's United States election campaign. President-elect, Barak Obama used the internet to pioneer a new form of electioneering. He used the internet to raise record-breaking financing for his campaign, articulate his vision, sway the opinions of the young and old, recruit helpers, and persuade the undecided. In doing so, he demonstrated the power of ICTs, and inspired world admiration.

Obama's ascension to America's highest office does not only prove his leadership qualities; it also demonstrates the importance of computer ownership, access to broadband and the person-to-person communication that these facilities enhance.
He has also shown that politics has gone beyond television. But the real winners in this game I daresay are the makers of the microchips like our hosts today, Intel.

Speaking at the ICT Literacy Summit, Bruce Meehan, said that, "ICT's are changing everything, transforming organisations and redefining the skills and talents needed to succeed in the 21st century." At another platform he also claimed that," the ability to understand and make use of ICT digital literacy is proving essential to employment success, civic participation, accessing entertainment, and education, it is truly revolutionising how we work, live, play and learn." Every passing day, the truth of these remarks is becoming increasingly evident.

But another harsh reality is that people living in poverty inevitably have priorities which are more pressing than the mastery of ICTs. In this complex equation, the role of our schools is to prioritise mathematics and science, since new innovations have the capacity to create jobs that can lead to sustainable employment.

Some of the national challenges with regards to ICT are caused by, among others, the lack of a critical mass of researchers to enhance innovation and grow the economy, limited basic and advanced ICT skills levels, and under-investment in ICT R&D. Research findings reveal that South Africa invests a mere 10,5 percent on ICT R&D as compared to 30 percent by leading Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

Optimum utilisation of ICT is a critical element in economic development. ICT is a technological platform that has great impact on government service delivery and in key aspects of industrial and economic development.
These positive aspects of ICT's continue to inform government strategies, policy and legislative frameworks to harness ICT's as tools for improving the quality of life of our citizens and our economic growth.

ICT's have the potential to profoundly change the way business is conducted globally. But developing countries have to grapple with barriers to their access, which include, among others, high telecommunications costs, especially broadband; entry into the telecommunications market, especially for Small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs); the regulatory environment relating to telecommunications licensing issues; and lack of proper economic models for providing connectivity to marginalised rural communities, where telecommunications network operators seem particularly reluctant to invest in infrastructure.

My department has responded to this challenge by developing the National R and D Strategy, which sets the agenda for maximum contribution of research, development and innovation in science and technology in South Africa.
The strategy identifies ICT as a core technology mission for achieving this. However, serious challenges still remain.

To keep pace with change in such a dynamic environment, and to maintain South Africa's leadership and competitiveness, the department is pursuing a number of interventions, through its ICT R and D and Innovation Strategy.

Specifically, the strategy promotes innovation, supports entrepreneurship, improves infrastructure and empowers people through world class research, a robust innovation chain and human capital development. This strategy has as its vision for ICT in 2015 as, "the creation of an inclusive knowledge society where ICT-based innovation flourishes."

At another level, government has implemented measures to support the economy through programmes such as Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (AsgiSA) and Joint Initiative on Priority Skills for South Africa (Jipsa). Both these initiatives identify ICTs as key to achieving our developmental goals. ASGISA, for example, has electronic communication as one focus area. JIPSA, on the other, seeks to identify solutions to skills shortages in critical areas, including ICT.

On the issue of skills, our major challenge is to ensure rapid absorption of the disadvantaged groups in to our ICT skills development plans. In this context, we are looking to ICTs to empower the youth, embrace the disabled and to actively promote the cause of women and people living in rural areas.

On the policy front, my department has made great strides in strengthening our national system of innovation by developing a ten year innovation plan. Innovation lies at the heart of our national hopes.

So, it is particularly pleasing that Intel, the generous sponsors of this leadership forum, is also among the world's leading advocates for innovation.
The company also sponsors the International Science and Engineering Fair, which, will be held in Reno, Nevada, in May 2009. In Reno, South Africa will be represented by two young students from Johannesburg, Bradley Pieter Rautenbach and Sean Daly.

They developed a recycling project that converts discarded rubber tyres into inexpensive roof tiles. This is not only a viable option for providing affordable roofing, but also eliminates the unsightly used tyres and their attendant negative environmental impacts. We salute you. South Africa stands behind you, and we thank Intel for its support of our young talent.

To some extent, the objectives of the ICT R and D and innovation strategy, and the aim of increasing ICT R and D spend are inseparable. The department is addressing these issues in collaboration with other cluster departments, the Meraka Institute, Higher Education Institutions, Science Councils and other role players in our national system of innovation.

To assist in developing the critical mass in ICT research, the department, together with Meraka Institute, is implementing a number of flagship projects in ICT domains such as Mobile, Wireless and Satellite Technologies, Geomatics and Spatial Technologies, as well as ICT in education.

In the mobile and wireless technology front, world class research and innovation is ongoing in the area of wireless mesh networks. We are implementing a number of pilot projects in selected townships and rural areas. Apart from advancing research and innovation, these projects also seek to provide alternative and cost-effective last mile connectivity to under-serviced and rural areas.
This project has also taken on board a mixture of young, vibrant ICT developers and advanced researchers who are pursuing their Masters and PhD programmes.

Within the ICT in education space, advanced research is being carried out to develop innovative solutions not only to expose our younger generation to ICT's, but also to harness ICT's as tools for advancing teaching and learning in our schools.

The need for world class cyber infrastructure is also receiving high priority in our planning. We have established the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC). We are also rolling out The South African National Research Network (SANReN), which is a high speed network for inter-connecting research councils, other research institutes within statutory bodies and government departments, and universities. Over and above the national interconnect, SANReN will connect all these centres at high speed to global research networks via connections to the Géant in Europe, and possibly to internet2 Abilene network in the United States (US). The potential for SANReN to accelerate the impact of ICTs in the African context cannot be overstated.

Moreover, the CPHC and SANReN will operate in tandem to provide computational power and high bandwidth interconnections to support other science and engineering branches such as molecular biology, medical and health science, astronomy, astrophysics, bioinformatics, and advanced manufacturing, to mention a few applications. This is now possible, thanks to the true nature of ICT as a multi-disciplinary and cross-cutting technology platform.

While electronic communication, network bandwidth and computing resources are necessary infrastructure to address the digital divide, broadband connectivity remain the single most critical component for providing the much needed Internet access. For years, Africa has been wanting in ICT adoption and development compared to other developing countries.

The overall gap between developing and developed countries is still wide in relation to internet usage, but in Africa only 1,1 percent of the population had access to the internet in 2003 compared to 55,7 percent in North America.
Since the turn of the millennium, Africa has shown a significant growth rate at 56 percent in terms of the number of people accessing the internet.

Further, it is true that the penetration of mobile communication is fastest in developing regions, with Africa and East Asia at the forefront. Given this state of affairs, the challenge to the ICT industry is to find innovative ways of capitalising on the explosion of the mobile telecommunications market in Africa.
This calls for mobile phone based solutions to address many socio-economic challenges. Current trends show that cellular phones can be optimally utilised as alternative service delivery channels for e-government, e-health, e-education and e-business.

Notwithstanding its countless benefits, the internet itself presents many challenges with regards to security. Due to its open nature, the internet is also a platform for unscrupulous activities such as cyber-fraud and transmission of obscene content, which perpetually put business and individuals at high risk.
Government is also not immune to this undesirable reality. The need for robust and state-of-the-art information security systems is therefore indispensable for securing our government systems, especially those with high national security risks like military and intelligence systems.

In closing, I urge the participants in this Leadership Forum to help find new solutions. The internet is dissolving barriers among people worldwide. Spare a thought for those who have no access, either through lack of computers, electricity or connectivity. These people are faced with the frightening prospect of a world advancing without and away from them. 90 percent of these people come from Africa. Can we comfortably allow this to happen?

I thank you.