The Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Dr Siyabonga Cwele, met the chairman of the National Broadband Advisory Council (NBAC), Dr Sibusiso Sibisi, as part of his engagements with key stakeholders in the sector.
The get-together took place ahead of the third meeting between the Ministry and the NABC since the council was launched in March 2014 to advise the Minister on the implementation of the national broadband policy and strategy, South Africa Connect.
The NBAC is made up of technical experts and representatives of the public sector, business, labour and civil society. It also has two international experts from the International Telecommunication Union and the World Bank.
“Tapping the skills and expertise of a wide range of people is essential in expanding broadband services faster to all South Africans. As the State, we want to use ICT infrastructure to support job-creation, facilitate inclusive economic growth and improve the delivery of government services,” says Minister Cwele.
“The NBAC is at the centre of the progressive partnerships with all sectors of society that we are building to ensure that we reduce the digital divide and achieve the goals of the National Development Plan. Such partnerships can also help use to eliminate duplication of infrastructure and map out priority areas for investment,” he adds.
The third NBAC meeting discussed items that included progress made by the Department in planning the first phase of connecting health centres, schools and police stations, in line with South Africa Connect.