The upcoming 13th annual GovTech conference is set to focus on how the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) will change the lives of South African citizens by bringing together high-level representatives from the government, industry and business to share information, knowledge and professional expertise.
“GovTech’s quest is to develop South Africa into a ‘smart nation’ – from delivering digital services to all citizens to introducing innovative technologies that make government business processes smoother and finding the best, most cost-effective solutions to ICT challenges in public service delivery,” State Information Technology Agency (SITA) Acting CEO Ntutule Tshenye said in a statement on Thursday.
The conference will take place at the Durban International Convention Centre from 27 to 30 October under the theme “Digital transformation: gearing towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and beyond”.
Information about the critical milestones on the government’s journey to digital transformation will be shared during the event.
More than 2 200 delegates will discover how Cyber-Physical Systems, the Internet of Things and the Internet of Systems will affect all disciplines, industries and economies in the future through presentations by highly respected expert speakers from South Africa and abroad.
The conference has four key content pillars: social protection, the digital economy, economic transformation and service delivery infrastructure.
“Over the four days, the fascinating sessions will address how technology and information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure development will digitally transform and uplift various sectors including health, education, agriculture, energy, water and sanitation, financial services, transport and communication. Issues such as alleviating poverty, economic growth and job creation, and gender inequality will be addressed,” SITA said.
In addition, side-bar sessions will be held in a Small, Medium & Micro Enterprise Business (SMME) exhibition hall with the aim of facilitating small business growth.
“Studies have shown that SMME enterprise and supplier development has a positive impact on the economy and that SMMEs are critical for job creation and employment in developing economies.
“With this in mind, the dedicated track for SMMEs at GovTech is aimed at enabling SITA to design and implement strategies that will empower SMMEs to work on ICT solutions to address South Africa’s challenges and build the country’s future,” Tshenye said.
More information on the conference can be found on www.govtech.co.za. – SAnews.gov.za
