Limpopo Business 2017-18 edition

FOCUS
Ramosobane cites aspects such as digitalisation, robotics, 3D printing,
green solutions and big data as elements of the new economy that
are driven through ICT. As a consequence, one of the key objectives
of Limpopo Connexion is the development of broadband telecommunication
infrastructure for the province.
Planners are looking beyond the ICT sector in isolation. As
Ramosobane notes, “There have to be ways of using technology in
different sectors of the economy, because ICT is all pervasive. Whether
it’s finance, whether it’s roads, or it's construction or mining, ICT and
technology will be used in those sectors.”
With Limpopo’s great strength as a resource-based economy, what are
the ways that ICT can further develop the mining and agricultural sectors?
Miners can cut costs enormously if they use up-to-date data- collection
methods rather than traditional methods. Data-driven research can
help to make sure that communities benefit to a greater degree when
beneficiation of minerals or agricultural produce takes place.
And Ramosobane believes that there is great potential beyond
the resource economy: “When you talk about tourism, how do we sell
Limpopo globally without actually going there, but using innovation
systems and technology?”
Strategic objectives
Open access broadband telecommunications network infrastructure:
Government, business, rural communities, students and citizens
at large should all be able to access affordable broadband infrastructure
services. This initiative should empower community members to
participate in the mainstream economy. Says Ramosobane, "Any person
in the province, be it plumbers, be it students at the universities,
learners and educators at high schools, ordinary people, households;
they should all be able to have access to the affordable broadband
infrastructure services and cheaper technologies."
A science and technology park (STP): An STP is a space, physical or
cyberspatial, managed by a specialised professional team that provides
value-added services, whose aim is to increase the competitiveness
of its region or territory of influence by stimulating a culture of quality
and innovation among its associated businesses and knowledge-based
institutions, organising the transfer of knowledge and technology from
its sources to companies and to the marketplace, and by actively fostering
the creation of new and sustainable innovation-based companies
through incubation and spin-off processes. It must attract international
ICT companies to the province where they can interact and partner with
academic institutions and local businesses. The international companies
can originate (and pay for) research projects that are directly
relevant to the work they are doing, rather than doing research for
research’s sake. Provide direct links between the private sector, government
and universities.
Free and open source software
(FOSS): Providing free
and open source software
to the citizens of Limpopo
cuts the cost of ICT, thus enabling
small businesses to gain access to
the advantages of the Knowledge
Economy without having to pay
high prices for licensed software
packages.
A provincial FOSS strategy
has been adopted and
several pilot programmes
rolled out.
These programms include
systems such as a Wildlife Trade
Permit System, Tourism Guide
Registration Systems, a Consumer
Affairs System, a Farmer’s Portal
and Mobile Application, and an
eHeritage Database and Portal
among others.
Limpopo Connexion, in partnership
with Tirelo Bosha-Public
Service Improvement Facility, a
bilateral programme between
Belgium and South Africa
facilitated by the Department of
Public Service and Administration
(DPSA), has implemented an open
source-based offline content
project in 15 schools previously
without Internet connectivity.
With feedback from the Limpopo
Department of Education and
principals from schools, the project
will be expanded by a further
grant from the Belgium government
to 45 more schools in the
Province. There was significant
improvement in the matric results
due to the introduction of
the system.
Training in FOSS is being undertaken
in partnership with
SUSE, a large international open
source software company.
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