South Africa’s ICT progress praised

South African President, Thabo Mbeki, has credited the Presidential International Advisory Council on Information Society and Development (PIAC) for being at the centre of the country’s advancement in information technology over the past eight years.

The SABC reported that Mbeki was speaking following the three-day meeting of international experts on Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Hoedspruit in Limpopo. The president led a high-powered government delegation in discussions with the experts and leading local businesses.

Mbeki has clearly begun taking stock of his 10-year presidency. The Presidential Advisory Council on ICT ranks high among his legacies. He brought together a group of top executives from major international corporations and experts active in the field of information and communications technology in 2001 to advise him on ICT developments.

Key concepts in ICT

The president went to great lengths to explain the leading role played by the council over the past eight years in helping the country to build a better understanding of the key concepts in ICT.

A scorecard to indicate progress in the council’s ICT goals will be developed in eight weeks. The council also facilitated the signing of an agreement to align undersea cabling in the West Coast.

A coordinator of the Advisory Council has now been appointed and the CEO of the National e-Skills Council will be appointed within the next three months.