Speech by the Deputy Minister of the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Honourable Prof. Hlengiwe Mkhize,MP, during the occasion of International Women in Information Technology Summit at Protea Balalaika Hotel, Sandton
Topic: “Using Technology and Science to Spur Development of rural women”
Programme Director, Mr. Aki Anastasious – Tech Show Host &
Radio Personality, Technobyte & 702
Betty Kumanhor, Managing Director –Thoughtworx Africa
Zandile Mbele, Executive Partner – IBM Global Business Services
Anette Muller, Founder & CEO – DOTNXT
Sipwe Chireka, Independent Consultant – Independent TMT Consultant Africa
Lorraine Sefolo, General Manager – Information Technology SABC
Ellie Hogapian, SEO Guru – Nomosphere
Simon Hudson, Founder – Provulo
Colleagues and friends
Good Morning
Introduction
The theme of the summit: “Connecting Women in Africa” is timely as we look at our current economic outlook. It is because of the difficulties in dismantling the architecture of apartheid legacy that manifest itself through the triple challenge of poverty, joblessness and inequality; still deeply rooted in our economic and social systems. The challenge for us is to restructure these institutions and ensure more equitable access to education, employment and ownership of assets while sustaining growth and regional development.
The focus of my address will be on the topic: “Using Technology and Science to Spur Development of rural women”. Given the historic composition of the South African economy rural women often find it hard to flourish. They find themselves having to first close the wide gender-gap. The main issue they grapple with on a day to day basis is inequality.
Of all the countries included in the World Bank’s Development indicators, South Africa has the worst Gini coefficient. The richest 10% of the population gets over two fifths of household income, while the poorest 60% gets only a seventh. The inclusion of women should help us fight these challenges.
Prominent authors such as Thomas Piketty a Professor of Economics at the Paris School of Economics has done major historical and theoretical work on the interplay between economic development and the distribution of income and wealth. He is currently the world’s most recognised academic who has produced substantial new knowledge on the political economy of poverty and inequality in the modern world. Professor Pikettys work has now led to radically question the optimistic relationship between development and inequality, and to emphasize the role of political and fiscal institutions in the evolution of income and wealth distribution.
The History of Gender Inequality and Mainstreaming in Technology
Since the 1950’s the issue of gender equality has been flagged but not at the forefront of the global economic and political arenas. Whilst arguably, we have seen some efforts to position women equal to their counterparts, the question is whether such efforts are enough.
In South Africa we have a Parliament where approximately 44% of the representation is held by women – from Ministers to political party leaders. We have witnessed the change in sectors previously dominated by men now being led by women of substance – in the ICT Sector – women such as Thoko Mokgosi-Mwantembe former CEO of Alcatel SA [1989 to 1994] and of Hewlett Packard [2004 to 2008], Nombulelo “Pinky” Moholi former CEO of Telkom, Minister Late Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri to today where young energetically driven women such as Yolanda Cuba, Ipeleng Mkhari, Lillian Barnard and others are making their mark on the sector and demonstrating to our young women that believe that the future is alive with possibilities.
Throughout Africa and the world at large, we are seeing women stepping up to the plate previously viewed by all as “a man’s world” – from Angela Merkel of Germany, Hilary Clinton – US presidential candidate 2015 to African first female president – Liberian President Ellen Sirleef. Even in South Africa, the ANC Women’s League has placed on record their desire to see a woman being considered as candidate for the presidential seat.
Policy Interventions and Legislation
The wave of change is upon us now, but what is it that we as South Africans and Africans, can do to expedite the gender equality agenda. Over the past 10 years we have seen the implementation of various legislative instruments focus on changing the gender landscape – from the BBBEE Codes to the Employment Equity Legislation. Our plea is that whatever is achieved is sustained, people need to move beyond the culture of compliance.
Whilst we have placed in operation these instruments, we seemed to have failed in ensuring that proper and accurate reporting mechanisms are in place to monitor the progress. We recognise as government that change is happening but what we can’t recognise is its pace. This is where summits such as this one that allows for frank and honest dialogue of the challenges play a key and critical role in unpacking the weaknesses and hopefully provide concrete recommendations, so that in a decade from now – we are not having the same conversation about gender equality.
The gender issue is complex in its very nature as it impacts the social, economic and political standing of women. Rural women who don’t only find themselves faced with A woman in business is also a mother, wife or lover in her personal life and whilst she is strong in her convictions in the office, on the home front, due to cultural constraints, she may be barred from being treated as an equal.
This challenge is seen across the global from Pakistan to Nigeria to Europe to the far East to even the USA. Culturally women as often viewed by the way they dress or conduct themselves in the home and not for the value they can bring to the economy. In turn, men still feel threatened by strong women in the workplace – expecting them to be as subservient in the office as they are at home.
On the business front, and particularly in our ICT Sector, programmes such as Vodacom’s Women in Technologies, Cell C’s “bring a girl-child to work” to government's own programme called Technology for Women in Business- an initiative that aims at helping SA female entrepreneurs apply science and technology based business solutions to grow their businesses and many more have opened opportunities for women to realise their potential in technological evolution of our economy and that of the world. These programmes are important in helping move women from the side-lines to the mainstream of the economy through the innovative use of technology.
On 12 August 2015, tribute was paid to Africa’s leading women in Technology – from Yasmin Belo-Osagie and Afus Osei whose company aptly called She Leads Africa has built an online platform to provide female entrepreneurs across the African Continent with financing, knowledge and networking opportunities aimed at building their businesses.
Judith Owigar whose company provides an online and mobile directory for blue-collar workers in Kenya, to our own Annette Muller – founder of DotNxt delivering digital development projects for South African companies – and Funke Opeke who served as MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical Officer prior 2007 and whose company raised over R3billion to build the pioneer private submarine cable system in West Africa.
We clearly have the women of substance in this exciting and ever changing ICT industry – the onus is on us all to create the environment that is conducive to their sustainability and growth. I trust that this summit is up for the challenge and I wish you all well in your deliberations and welcome your recommendations on how as a collective force – government and private/public sector alike – can bring about meaningful transformation and empowerment of all women of Africa.
Open Access Network
The coordination of infrastructure rollout measures to facilitate rapid deployment of this infrastructure and the interventions required to reduce the costs of communications and advance universal access remains central to the policy process.
In rolling out broadband infrastructure, The Department’s Policy, SA Connect, provides for the need to provide a model for the development of an open access national broadband network that would enable infrastructure sharing and promote more competition in the provision of services.
This model will open up opportunities for small operators to compete with the incumbents and could therefore assist in driving down the costs to communicate. It aims at producing an effective market structure required to attract sufficient public and private investment in extending broadband, as well as facilitate the efficient management and allocation of spectrum to support the provision of ICT services.
Education and Training for Critical Skills
There is a deliberate effort from government to deal with the issues of shortage of key skills for innovation and production. Quality education is an important right, which plays a vital role in relation to a person’s health, quality of life, self-esteem and the ability of citizens to be actively engaged and empowered. The father of our democracy Tata Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
There are ample opportunities provided through government programmes for women to take participate shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts:
Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges
Further Education and Training (FET) is an education and training programme provided from Grades 10 to 12, including career-oriented education and training offered in technical colleges, community colleges and private colleges. FET colleges are playing a growing role in the provision of the intermediate to higher-level skills required to support economic growth and development.
Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs)
SETAs must work out a sector skills plan and implement the plan by:
- starting learnerships;
- approving workplace skills plans from employers;
- giving funds to employers, trainers and workers; and
- watching over education and training in their sectors.
Universities
Research and innovation by universities and the private sector has a key role to play in improving South Africa's global competitiveness. Higher education is the major driver of information and knowledge systems that contribute to economic development. Our universities must produce more qualified Charted Accountants and Financial Engineers.
The ugly face of our democracy is a compelling case for ensuring that girls acquire quality education and women are skilled for radical economic inclusion, through enterprise development and leveraging on state policies for scaling up production and access to markets. Violence suppresses women’s goals and development and the country is deprived of the critical mass to grow the economy.
Skill gaps are a key constraint to innovation, hindering productivity growth and economic development. These shortages in the supply of trained professionals in disciplines related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) weakens the innovation potential of a society.
Investing in formal education is essential to promote equality of employment opportunities and strengthen economic growth. It increases cognitive and non-cognitive skills, it improves productivity and it provides individuals with a greater ability to further develop their knowledge and skills throughout their lives.
Promotion of Science, Technology and Engineering (STEM)
We need to promote “STEM” and technology skills such as coding much more which is something we are not doing enough of in the country at the moment. It would be a tragic situation to have on the one hand mass unemployment, particularly among the younger generation, and women in particular and on the other hand a shortage of tech-savvy workers.
In this regard, part of our response to this mismatch of skills and the jobs that are required in the economy, is the repositioning of the Ikamva National e-Skills Institute, to assist in identifying individuals who can be trained and acquire relevant and job-ready skills in the ICT sector.
Mobile phones and computers tend to dominate discussions of ICTs, print media, radios and television, often referred to as traditional mediums still play an important role especially in developing countries as they expand the reach of ICT initiatives and facilitate the spread of information. Hence the INESI will ensure that it facilitates the training of young people, and in particular women across all these fields.
Utilisation of Available Technologies
The availability of technology is not for its own sake but is there to improve people’s lives especially rural women young and old. Young Women must take advantage of the existing opportunities in electronics manufacturing, in audio-visual content for television production, and in the field of electronic engineering.
The technology field offers a wide range of career possibilities where systems design and development or integration, software engineering are field of commercial market. Today, online businesses are growing where the sale of these services in managed through the internet. E-Commerce is driven by innovation and new ideas. Women must be encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities.
Young women must take up opportunities provided by community radio and community television. Our Young Women must also undertake study opportunities provided by our government in the higher education system and bursaries provided by the private sector with specific focus to ICTs.
Access to ICT is essential for women entrepreneurs in starting and growing a business and overcoming barriers they face. Without access to ICT, women are at greater risk of being left behind as agents of change and leaders in a rapidly changing global society. We must ensure that women young and old, at all social levels and in all countries, can access and use such technology.
Universal inclusion and active participation in the digital economy are the key forces that underpin all our policy approaches towards a knowledge-based and connected digital society. At the core of building this digital economy is the need to attract more investment into the sector, to create robust, secured and sustainable infrastructure development and to develop broadband demand stimulation strategies.
Government’s Response to Skills
The NDP is the Country’s Vision, called Vision 2030. The NDP says many things but in terms of addressing skills it specifically aims to achieve the following:
- Establish a competitive base of infrastructure, skilled and competent human resources and an enabling regulatory framework;
- For instance, it aims to produce 30 000 artisans per annum
- • Enhance the quality of education and attainment of critical skills in fields like engineering, finance and ICT:
- On education and training the NDP prioritizes early childhood development. In addition it calls for between 80 to 90% of children to complete 12 years of schooling
- Achieve increased enrolment at universities including the number of students eligible to study towards maths and science based degrees;
- Expand the college system with a focus on improving quality. Provide 1 million learning opportunities through Community Education and Training Centres;
- Put huge investments in post-doctoral degrees, research and development, ICT and innovations, science and technology.
- Build the capacity of FET institutions to become the preferred institutions for vocational education and training.
- Build a strong relationship between the college sector and industry. SETAs have a crucial role in building relationships between education institutions and the employers.
The NDP is therefore quiet firm and resolute on the outcomes it desires to see accomplished with regards to the skills needed for a growing economy.
Working together as Further Education and Training Colleges, Universities, civil society and global development partners as encouraged by the NDP, we must advance the development of local ICT skills that will make South Africa and the continent globally competitive, facilitate economic and social inclusion and contribute to economic growth.
I thank you.
