Date: Tuesday, 14 May 2019
Venue: Fusion Boutique Hotel, Polokwane
Time: 09:00 – 13:40
In his recent State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “We are faced with a stark choice. It is a choice between being overtaken by technological change or harnessing it to serve our developmental aspirations. It is a choice between entrenching inequality or creating shared prosperity through innovation.”
The president has been focused on the influence that technology and the fourth industrial revolution can have on the country. There’s no better way to harness the benefits of technologies for communities than integrating it into the fabric of their habitats.
During this event, we will explore how to create a digital economy through smart cities, villages and townships. We will assess how South Africa has seen changes in its cities with enhanced broadband penetration and other fibre initiatives, from smart traffic and security cameras to smart meters.
Then we will examine the possibilities for growth and development in our townships and village. Rural areas and townships could be seen as a blank canvass for technological implementation, which could make the idea of smart villages and townships viable, seeing that technologies can be tested and deployed with less time. It is also believed that this can create more jobs, entrepreneurs, increase innovation and uplift the community.
We need to understand how we can move from smart cities to smart villages and townships. In addition to this, we can gain insight from smart cities and transfer knowledge and align the needs to local authorities and adapt to the needs of villages and townships.
The Public Sector ICT Forum’s ‘Smart Cities, Townships and Villages’ session will provide you with the answers to these questions. By attending, you’ll hear how we can take strides to transform SA’s urban and rural areas to improve the lives of our citizens.
Your host for the day is the glamourous Fifi Peters, who is renowned for her work on CNBC as an anchor on CNBC Africa's flagship markets shows, 'Power Lunch' and 'Closing Bell'. She is an alumnus of the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa Financial Journalism training programme that is run in conjunction with the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
Peters has also worked as a writer for the Business Day and Financial Mail, where she reported on the markets, economy and several sectors, including manufacturing, construction, financial services, retail and banking.
She is also an MC and moderator, having done work for Vodacom, MTN and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. In her spare time, she is a commentator on Classic FM's business show.
The Public Sector ICT Forum provides a platform and opportunity for public sector ICT decision-makers to come together, engage and discuss key topics.
During this event, we will explore how to create a digital economy through smart cities.
Key issues the event will address:
10 May 2019 - by Vineshia Petersen
Smart tech, infrastructure lacking in villages, townships
Immediate pressures such as providing running water and electricity supersede the need for smart solutions and technology infrastructure.
25 Apr 2019 - by Vineshia Petersen
Connecting townships, villages with smart tech
The Public Sector ICT Forum will examine how SA can develop and grow its villages and townships using smart city technology.
15 Apr 2019 - by Staff Writer
Public Sector ICT Forum tackles smart cities
Trusting the technology is key to the successful implementation of a smart city, said IDC's Mark Walker at the Public Sector ICT Forum.
28 Mar 2019 - by Vineshia Petersen
Smart cities put citizens first
Smart cities can have a huge impact on citizens and enhance service delivery, says Cyril Baloyi, group CTO of the City of Johannesburg.
14 Mar 2019 - by Vineshia Petersen
Building South African smart cities
Smart cities can improve infrastructure management and quality of life, while enhancing government visibility and transparency, and growing the economy.
MTN Business
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A proud sponsor of the Public Sector ICT Forum, MTN Business is focused on growing partnerships with the public sector to help achieve growth and facilitate government's journey from being efficient to being effective.
MTN Business believes that economic growth and the furtherance of government policies to alleviate poverty are inextricably intertwined with digital technology. As such, digitisation is the only way South Africa will reach its objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals. By enabling a digital future for South Africa through state-of-the-art technology solutions, MTN Business provides the tools with which the public sector can achieve its goals and further South Africa's growth.
These solutions include a full portfolio of the technologies needed by public sector organisations to serve their communities, such as Managed Networks, Cloud , Unified Communications, Security and IoT.
For more information, please visit
www.mtnbusiness.com/za