Issued by: Ministry for Post, Telecommunications and B/casting
Today, a 27-person strong delegation of businessmen and women active in the information technology (IT), multi-media and broadcasting sectors begin a high level visit to India, the world's third largest IT power. The delegation will be led by Post, Telecommunications and Broadcasting Minister Jay Naidoo.
During the visit, the delegation will have meetings in new Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mubai with senior politicians, government officials, state enterprises, the private sector and industry associations. The trade delegation is the biggest yet from South Africa to visit India.
The purpose of the trip is to investigate training opportunities, software development, information services and joint partnership.
India's software exports have jumped from US$1,1 billion to US$1,75 billion in just one year, pushing the overall value of the IT sector up to more than US$2 billion. "That's something to think about, particularly when you consider that the IT sector in India has grown in value from about US$10 million to US$2,2 billion in about 10 years, largely because the government made fostering software development and the domestic IT industry a top priority," Naidoo says. Almost every Indian state has adopted its own IT development policy.
"We have much to learn from India, considering that IT, like South Africa, is a developing country facing major problems in infrastructure development and poverty. Yet India managed to create an industry that today employs more than 160 000 people and continues to be the world's most sough after programming skills," Naidoo says.
Indian software companies have concentrated mainly on developing applications for the banking, manufacturing, insurance and other financial services and retail/distribution sectors.
"But India in increasingly emerging as a software development centre with more and more overseas companies setting up operating in India either through equity holdings, joint ventures or marketing or technical agreements," he says.
South Africa is also seeking to learn from India's experience in growing a vibrant local film and television production industry. "The Broadcasting White Paper which was tabled in Parliament in June this year, clearly makes the promotion of a local content industry a priority. We hope to learn how best to do this," he says.
While in India, Naidoo will be delivery a number of keynote speeches to important gatherings of businessmen and women from the IT, telecommunications and broadcasting sectors.