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Pretoria, August 12, 2011.- In response to the government’s request, and based on the MoU signed between the DoC and UNDP on April 2011. UNDP has been arranging activities aimed at enhancing the e-skills for equitable prosperity and global competitiveness in the country and that will serve as an entry point for a policy dialogue and an integrated UN approach towards the implementation of the e-skills Initiative.The e-skills Workshop came at a timely moment where the e-Skills Institute (e-SI) is implementing the development of the five Provincial e-Skills Knowledge Production and Coordination Hubs, and consolidating itself at a national level as the lead institution to achieve a more equitable prosperity and global competitiveness.
As part of the activities that UNDP is conducting to achieve the above objective included a one day workshop for members of the United Nations Agencies in South Africa, International community and other national/international key stakeholders.
The Director General of the Department of Communications, Mrs. Rosey Sekese, started the session mentioning that the Department is committed in “working faster, harder and smarter in ensuring that we take technology to the people in service of the people”. She stated that to achieve “success in addressing the vital matter of e-skilling our nation, we must recognise that there are many players, there are many efforts and there many institutional needs. Thus if we are going to succeed in our endeavours, we need to develop a collaborative framework to align effort, define gaps and build appropriate responses.” Mrs. Sekese emphasized the role and purpose of the e-Skills Institute as a catalytic institution that will lead this process.
The Deputy Minister of the Department of Communications, Mr. Obed Bapela, emphasized during his speech that “if South Africa wants to be a serious part of the socio-economic fabric of the world going into the future, we have no real alternative but to seriously engage with the Information Society and the Knowledge-based economies.” Identifying that skilling South Africans is becoming a key strategic priority, Bapela stated that “it is simply true that in going forward, without adequate appropriation of e-skills there can be no sustainable development and there can be no sustainable employment.” The Deputy Minister concluded saying that the Government of South Africa “have established the e-Skills Institute as a national catalytic collaborator and shaper to address the growing need for coordination and leadership in addressing the very serious skills problem that the country faces in adequately addressing our national strategic goals, MDGs and WSIS Plan of Action.
The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, Dr. Agostinho Zacarias, explained the new approach of the UN agencies in the country, explaining that UNDPs Programme is “now focused on supporting the country’s ongoing efforts towards the promotion of inclusive growth and development in collaboration with national, regional and international knowledge institution/centres of excellence.” Dr Zacarias stated that existing skills gap in South Africa cannot be addressed fully through traditional formal education alone, thus that a combined and collaborative approach is needed “to mobilize the key national players, and invite the international development partners to join this critical initiative that goes beyond technology and addresses the core developmental priorities of the country as captured in the current medium term strategic framework.” The Resident Representative mentioned that “in a developmental state like South Africa, the market mechanism alone cannot address the issue of equitable prosperity”, and that “it requires public-private partnerships to facilitate access to cutting edge technologies for social innovations and promote local entrepreneurship development if we are to reach the poor as well as the marginalized segment of the population, including the youth, women, and people with disabilities”. Dr. Zacarias concluded reiterating “UNDPs full commitment to support national and provincial level efforts around ICT geared towards development. While playing this important catalytic role, UNDP will work very closely with the Department of Communications and other relevant government structures as well as knowledge institutions to promote ICT for development”.
