The Gauteng Department of e-Government is working to better position itself on how to create smarter solutions to deliver public services to the citizens of Gauteng.

The department, the first South African government department established to modernise and digitise services, is tasked with implementing information and communications technology (ICT) solutions for the Gauteng provincial government.

The modernisation of services includes e-services, where government services can be accessed online using smart phones or computers.

It also has the mandate to implement the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Strategy while improving the provision of e-services, governance and skills development across Gauteng.

The Department of e-Government has been engaging on many strategies to digitise public services, explains Finance and e-Government MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, noting that it is important for the department to bring industry experts together.

Speaking at an ICT Indaba, held on August 16, she said that discussions need to focus on concepts such as the Growth and Digitalisation Strategy, e-waste management, data centre and cybersecurity strategies.

“We should then craft a common programme of action to unlock this giant called the digital economy without compromising on service delivery,” she adds.

To achieve the outcomes of the discussions that took place at the Indaba, the Gauteng Department of e-Government will be working to implement its five pillars, namely, modernised ICT infrastructure and connectivity; digital platform, e-services and applications; provincial ICT oversight and governance; ICT solutions advocacy and communication facilitation; and ensuring Gauteng is a hub of 4IR skills.

The Indaba, hosted as part of the department’s growth strategy, aimed to engage industry experts, learn from their business models and find areas of improvement in delivering services to Gauteng residents.

Department of e-Government head Cyril Baloyi says that it is important to ensure that the department, which was established in 2015, performs optimally as an ICT-led department on its journey to digitise services.

The department has to effectively contribute towards Gauteng’s economic growth by ensuring that it provides the right e-services to Gauteng residents, establishing advanced information technology systems for Gauteng government departments and providing the necessary ICT skills to Gauteng youth.

“The discussion forum is hosted to learn from all industry experts about issues of governance and innovation so that e-Government, as the cornerstone of ICT in the province, can implement the relevant ICT strategies in digitising the Gauteng government,” he says.

The provision of ICT skills to the youth can be done through initiatives such as e-waste management, an initiative established to manage the discarding and recycling of electronic or electrical waste in Gauteng.

Further, this can be done through the newly established ICT centre of excellence that looks into providing ICT skills training to the youth across the five regions of Gauteng.

“It is paramount that we work together and not against each other as we can achieve more. Digital and technological innovation as well as the centralisation of the Gauteng digital environment are the main drivers of our discussions.”