towards a sustainable development view of ict-based local content in south africa steve vosloo...
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Towards a Sustainable Development View of ICT-based Local Content
in South Africa
Steve [email protected]
Project brief
• Sponsored by IISD and IDRC (Canada)• In 6 developing countries it aims:
– To integrate the visions of the emerging IS with the principles and priorities of the UN's MDG and WSSD
– To foster interaction between the national SD and IS policy communities
• Outcome: workshops, research paper (book)
Overview
• South Africa• Forthcoming e-strategy• Local content• Sustainable development• Engagement
South Africa
• Apartheid legacy: post 1994 …• Issues:
– Population: 44 million– Chronic income/wealth inequality, along spatial and racial
biases– 30% households have no electricity– 15% households have no toilet facility– 30% unemployment– Half live below poverty line (US$1.8/day)
• Cultural diversity: 11 official languages, many peoples
Languages in SA
StatsSA 2003
ICT penetration in SA
• Radio: 75% of households• TV: 50% of households• PCs: White households: 46%
Black African, Indian, Coloured: 2%(Census 2001)
• Internet: (approx.) 10% of population have access
Telephone density
National e-strategy
• Presidential National Commission on Information Society and Development (PNC on ISAD) working on:ISAD Plan and Implementation Strategy
1. To create a clear national IS vision for SA to which national, provincial and local govt should align their ICT strategies
2. To ensure coordination of ICT policies
3. To maximise the use of ICTs for development in SA
National e-strategy (cont.)
ICT Infrastructure Devp
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Human Resources Devp
Applications
Policy Environment
Local content
• What is local content?– “The expression of the locally owned and adapted
knowledge of a community – where the community is defined by its location, culture, language, or area of interest” (Ballantyne 2002)
• SA focus on arts, culture, heritage and IK• Influences: SA history, WSIS• But what about SD-focus in SA?
But … SA has strong SD focus
• Constitution, laws, policies, IDPs• Signatory to Agenda 21, MD, WSSD, WSIS• “Sustainable development means the integration of
social, economic and environmental factors into planning, implementation and decision-making so as to ensure that development serves present and future generations” (National Environmental Management Act 1998)
Problem!
• Culture focus means local content loses its SD impact
• Health, education, job creation, environment, agriculture, etc. all have local content
Key message …
Local content is a fundamental building block of SD
Cape Gateway
www.capegateway.gov.za
OKN Mobile
www.oknmobile.com
Mindset
www.mindset.co.za
Engagement
• 2 half-day workshops: CT and Jhb• Academia: Cape Peninsula University of Technology• Government: PNC, CeI, DEADP• CSOs: Empowerment for African Sustainable
Development, Environmental Justice Network Forum, Open Knowledge Network, SANGONeT, Bridges.org, Mindset
Impact
• Point was acknowledged• Will receive FINAL draft soon• Continue to advise PNC on LC issues
Thank You
Steve Vosloo
www.molotech.org.za