ICT - Information & Communication Technology
KwaZulu-Natal is a hotspot for ICT investment.
Sixty schools across KwaZulu-Natal joined the Internet age when the provincial Department of Education introduced new computer laboratories in 2009.
Each of the laboratories was equipped with 25 linked computers, Smart Boards, laptops and data projectors. This intervention is designed so that these computer rooms can be used in the teaching of all subjects in the curriculum, not just computer studies.
The provision of computer laboratories is the most sophisticated part of the R51-million provincial project, which has also taken the Internet to 200 schools and provided at least one computer in 500 further schools for administrative purposes. The problem of electricity provision in far-flung rural areas is going to be tackled by supplying solar-energy units to power the computers and printers.
Residents of the small Midlands village of Muden can also now connect to the wider world because of the Zibambeleni Muden Telecentre, opened in March 2009 by the national Minister of Communications. The centre offers computer training, photocopying and fax services as well access to 10 Internetlinked computers. A number of organisations assisted in the creation of this important rural initiative: the national Department of Communications, the Zimbambeleni Development Trust, Microsoft, the Universal Service Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA), the South African Graduate Development Association and the National Youth Development Agency.
SmartXchange is another example of a successful public-private partnership. The focus is on developing small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) within the ICT sector, and this sometimes occurs through partnerships with corporates. Another goal is to build a pool of skilled ICT workers .
The ICT and Engineering Cluster (an initiative of the provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism) gives strategic guidance to the sector and its development within the province.
Several factors are working in KwaZulu-Natal’s favour as a destination for ICT investment. Chief among these are the existence of an established skills base in microprocessors and radio-based systems, the province’s locational advantages with regard to transport and logistics and an already strong manufacturing base, particularly in the automotive industry and in food processing.
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