Date: 13/03/2008
Source: The Presidency
Title: SA: Mbeki: Opening of E-skills Academy

Address by President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki at the opening of the E-skills Academy, Johannesburg

The Management of the e-Skills Academy of South Africa
Senior Executives from the Multinational Information Technology Companies
Minister of Communications, Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri
Members of the Presidential International Advisory Council on Information Society and Development
Public Sector representatives
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Thank you very much for inviting me to participate in this important event, the opening of the e-Skills Academy of South Africa. This occasion is source of enormous pleasure for all of us, signifying as it does our shared determination to assist this country to take yet another step forward fully to integrate itself in the global information society.

Importantly, the launching of the e-Skills Academy communicates the inspiring story of a partnership founded on a shared commitment to address the critical challenge of skills and human development as part of our national effort to confront the broader task of the development and reconstruction of our country.

This auspicious occasion also serves as an opportunity for me to pay tribute to the members of the Presidential International Advisory Council on Information Society and Development, who took the lead, working with our Department of Communications, to address the serious shortage in e-skills identified during meetings of the Advisory Council.

When we established the Council, we explained to the members that we sought to access their expertise and experience to assist us the better to understand modern information and communication technologies, and rapidly to spread the use of these technologies in this country, based on proper understanding of their application in all areas of human activity.

The e-skills Academy we inaugurate today constitutes yet another concrete outcome of the seriousness with which the members of the International Advisory Council responded to this earnest appeal.

I am proud to say that it stands out as confirmation of the possibility to build true and effective international partnerships based on the concept and practice of mutual benefit.

As South Africans, we are very proud indeed that we had the possibility to be part of an important initiative which communicates what can and should be done to respond to some of the challenges of globalisation.

This country is still involved in a complex process of reconstruction and development, which demands of us as South Africans to be ready always to respond to tasks that, for us, are unprecedented. The objective to build a non-racial, non-sexist, united, peaceful and prosperous democracy stands at the centre of all our efforts.

We were blessed that the people of the world joined us in the struggle to end the system of apartheid, sharing with us the hope and the dream of the birth of the new South African democracy I have sought to characterise.

I believe that we were doubly blessed that after the democratic transition in 1994, the people of the world sustained their commitment to assist us to build this new South Africa, convinced that our success in this regard would add something of value to the fashioning of a better global human society.

I have made these remarks to communicate to the members of the International Advisory Council, our sincere thanks to them for their own unwavering commitment to the success of the South African "pilot project", demonstrated today by the launch of the e-Skills Academy.

Many of us in this room are aware that South Africa has great potential with regard to making the necessary advances in many critical areas that are part of modern technologies. This is because we have a relatively sound technological and scientific infrastructure that allows for further innovation and improvement.

With the correct focus and appropriate partnerships, it should be possible for us to catch-up with global leaders in the fields of science and technology. This is critical to the achievement of the goals of economic growth and shared prosperity, the upliftment of our people, the creation of jobs and the realisation of the goal of a better life for all South Africans.

It is because of this that we thank the Oracle Corporation, following on a commitment made to the Presidential International Advisory Council on Information Society and Development (PIAC) for establishing the e-Skills Academy of South Africa. I am indeed happy that this Academy was established after extensive consultations and collaboration among all stakeholders, which include:

* technology users in both the public and private sectors
* multinational vendors, suppliers of technology and others
* tertiary institutions
* national and provincial government departments, including Communications, Education, and, National training authorities, and in particular the Information Systems, Electronics and Telecommunication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (ISETT SETA).

In addition to Oracle Corporation, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank other players whose collaboration on this project will undoubtedly ensure its success. These include:

* IBM, Microsoft, HP, Cisco Systems and NIIT Limited
* the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)
* the International Business Training Association
*the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
* the Association of Operations Management of Southern Africa (SAPIS)
* ubuntu certifications; and
* the Workshops and Master Class Series.

This kind of partnership is what South Africa and our young people need. We require this initiative because it will help our students to develop the technology and business skills demanded by contemporary society and the modern economy.

Both the public and the private sectors have provided extensive inputs to define what information and communication technology (ICT) skills are needed, and how best to impart these skills in ways that go far beyond the Academy so as to deliver meaningful and measurable benefits in areas such as increased efficiency in business and enhanced service delivery in the public sector.

This collaboration further suggests that all stakeholders have accepted unconditionally that they share an obligation to alleviate unemployment and poverty, both of which are still at unacceptably high levels in our country.

As we have said, we enter into this partnership because, among other things, we are all aware of the fact that one of the critical constraints to shared growth is our skills base, which constitutes a potentially fatal constraint. One of the challenges facing a country such as South Africa is that globalisation has brought about intense competition with regard to skilled workers. In this regard, one the disadvantages of many developing countries such as South Africa is the small corps of skilled workers.

Given the global competition with developed countries, it has always been difficult for developing countries to retain sufficient number of these highly sought workers, which impacts negatively on the growth and development of these countries.

Accordingly, it is important to train as large a number of skilled workers as possible, so that, even in the event of migration of skills to developed countries, the developing countries would themselves be able to maintain a competitive edge. Clearly, this situation is also important for companies such as Oracle because the increase in the sales of your sophisticated products depends, in turn, on the continued global expansion of the market for your goods and services.

We have to be proactive rather than reactive in the development of their indigenous ICT sectors as has been demonstrated by countries such as India.

The e-Skills Academy is indeed such a proactive initiative and its training and skills development portfolio is clear testament that a key underpinning of success in the Information Age is world-class products and infrastructure developed by a highly skilled workforce.

It is crucial that this e-Skills Academy will help further to increase our ICT systems and institutions, as well as heighten our people's levels of interest and awareness in the area of ICTs, involving especially the young people of our country, upon whom depends our future.

This initiative should also help in our on-going efforts to extend ICT access to all our people as a catalyst to lift the poor out of poverty. This is particularly critical since we are all too aware that poverty is reinforced by the majority of poor people being continuously locked out of the rapidly advancing technological world.

I am inspired by the fact that this important programme of imparting skills to our people seeks to do so in a manner that recognises the importance of world-class quality and standards by ensuring that all students have access to internationally-recognised qualifications throughout their entire curriculum.

Further, I am pleased to note that this commitment is further enhanced by the Academy's focus on highly personalised services that are provided to students.

Services such as the facilitation of bursaries and study grants, development of personal skills in key areas such as business and leadership and programmes aimed at the placement of graduates in rewarding jobs will go a long way towards empowering students.

Chairperson,

The sustainability of this initiative is not only guaranteed within the framework of undertakings made by the multinational vendors to the PIAC and the e-Skills Council, but also, by the fact that the Academy has been established as a commercial venture.

At the same time, however, together let us find ways of ensuring better access to this Academy, especially for those from disadvantaged communities. Together with government and our communities we should look into ways of using this programme to prepare young people from high primary and high schools to be ICT literate and aspire to join the ranks of this important group of ICT professionals as has gathered here today.

Your continued success as ICT operatives depends on ensuring that ICT ceases to be the preserve of the privileged few, but becomes a tool with which the poor liberate themselves from their wretchedness - an escalator that enables people to progress out of the Second to the First Economy.

I am indeed very pleased to wish the e-Skills Academy of South Africa success in its important work, and to pledge the support of our government.

It is therefore my great honour to declare the e-Skills Academy of South Africa open, and warmly to welcome the new era of skills development in our country which the Academy represents.

Thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency
13 March 2008