Eastern Cape Business 2017 edition

OVERVIEW
Information and
communication technology
Incubators and laboratories are boosting innovation.
A
number of public and private initiatives are under way to
boost the information and communication technology (ICT)
sector in the Eastern Cape.
Development agency Eastern Cape Development
Corporation (ECDC) has a specific emphasis on the ICT sector in terms
of the loans that it disburses. The ECDC works through the Eastern
Cape Information Technology Initiative (ECITI), which also promotes
the film sector.
The ECITI is designed to stimulate the creation of small, micro and
medium enterprises. Among recent topics dealt with at the annual ICT
Summit organised by ECITI are ICT infrastructure, innovation, social
transformation in ICT, digital skills, ICT codes and how to avoid vendor
mistakes in government.
The East London, Queenstown and Umthatha based branches
of ECITI offer office space to start-up enterprises as well as capacity
building initiatives. This virtual support can be given to similar companies
throughout the Eastern Cape province focussing and ensuring
inclusivity for rural communities.
The director of one of these companies is very positive about the
support received from the ECITI. Khanyisa Ngewu of On the Record,
a communications and media management company says, “I believe
the most notable value-add has been the training I received in Value
Added Tax, project management and financial management; as well
as access to legal advice relating to handling contracts.”
The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) runs an ICT incubator
in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. Known
as the Seda Nelson Mandela Bay ICT Incubator (SNII), support is given
in a wide range of sub-sectors such as graphics, systems analysis,
hardware and software. A new research and development laboratory
was established by SNII in 2016, focussing on apps, mechanical and
technical prototypes and software solutions.
SECTOR INSIGHT
A community telecoms network
has been established in
a rural area.
• ICT start-ups can get office
space and support
from the ECITI.
SNII also hosted a national conference
on “Universal Affordable
Access to Communications in
South Africa” in 2016. An example
of what can be done to reduce
telecommunication costs in
rural areas was presented by the
University of the Western Cape,
who have teamed up with the
Mankosi community in a rural part
of the Eastern Cape and created
the Zenzeleni Network. This is essentially
a community telecoms
company where local calls are
free, data is considerably cheaper
and calls to other networks half
the normal cost.
The Small Enterprise
Development Agency (Seda)
is an agency of the National
Department of Trade and
Industry, and gives non-financial
support to entrepreneurs.
The National Electronic Media
Institute of South Africa (NEMISA)
was originally created to create
skills for the broadcasting
EASTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2017
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