Technology is key to building a capable state in South Africa.
This is the word from South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, giving his annual State of the Nation address last night in Cape Town.
“As we work to reform the Public Service and build the capability of the state, we will harness technology to transform the way that government works,” he says.
“We will invest in digital public infrastructure to give South Africans access to government services anytime, anywhere through a relaunched gov.za platform.”
The heart of this transformation will be the implementation of a digital identity system, he adds.
As a key to unlocking investment, the president announce that government aims to spend more than R940-billion on infrastructure over the next three years, across all sectors.
At the same time, progress is being made in rebuilding and restructuring a number of network industries
“Our immediate focus is to enable Eskom, Transnet and other SOEs that are vital to our economy to function optimally,” Ramaphosa says. “We are re-positioning these entities to provide world-class infrastructure while enabling competition in operations, whether in electricity generation, freight rail or port terminals.”
The Electricity Regulation Amendment Act, which came into effect on 1 January, will kick-start a competitive electricity market, he adds.
As part of our reform agenda, government continues to enhance visa system to make it easier for skilled people to invest in our country and to grow tourism.
“This year, we will launch an Electronic Travel Authorisation System to enable a secure, fully digital visa application process,” Ramaphosa explains. “This system will use AI and automation to reduce the scope for corruption and enable rapid turnaround times for tourist visas.”
The president stresses that job creation is vital. “To create jobs, we must leverage our unique strengths and our unrealised potential to build the industries of the future – green manufacturing, renewable energy, electric vehicles and the digital economy.
“This year, we will finalise a modernised and comprehensive industrial policy that drives economic growth,” he says.
“We will achieve this ambition by focusing on the opportunities in localisation, diversification, digitisation and de-carbonisation.”
We have seen strong growth in digital services and business process outsourcing, which has created jobs for young people, he adds. “To support this growth, we are investing in skills development for the industries of the future.
“The Jobs Boost Fund has pioneered a new model that links funding for skills in demand to the successful placement and employment of young people.”
In addition, government is expanding support for small and medium enterprises and for the informal economy, which sustains millions of jobs and livelihoods across our country.
“This includes streamlining funding for small businesses, unlocking venture capital for high-growth start-ups, and developing a regulatory environment that enables rather than restricts informal enterprises.”
To build an innovative economy, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation will establish an Innovation Fund to provide venture capital to tech start-ups that emerge from higher education institutions.