Cloud Computing Adoption in the South African Public Sector

Scholars have touted a variety of benefits for adopting cloud computing solutions in the public sector. However, the  adoption of cloud computing has been low in the South African (SA) government context. This study investigates the factors influencing cloud computing adoption within the SA public sector. The study adopted a case study approach. The research was informed by the Technological Organisational Environmental (TOE) and the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theoretical frameworks to understand the trajectory of cloud computing adoption. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with respondents from government departments. Additionally, secondary data from government Information Technology (IT) policies and strategic documents was analysed. The results highlighted that the enablers that are critical for cloud adoption include cloud computing policy, skills, IT infrastructure and financial support. The barriers that are hindering cloud adoption are related to security risks, network connection, cloud computing policy, costs and budget availability, among others. The identified benefits that may be realised through cloud adoption include enhanced service improvement, cost savings, high system availability, green IT, centralised and shared services and accessibility. The study proposes several guiding principles for cloud computing adoption in the public sector

Exploring the use of mobile phones for public participation in the Buffalo City metropolitan municipality

This study investigated the factors that influence the intention of citizens to use their mobile phones to increase their participation in local government. It examined whether gender and age can be used to moderate the effect of these factors. The research was conducted in Buffalo City, a municipality in South Africa. The research used a questionnaire survey to collect quantitative data and semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data. Data was collected from people aged between 18 and 55 who have no access to fixed-line Internet at home but are instead primarily accessing the Internet via their mobile phones. The study found that the acceptance of mobile phones as a means for public participation is largely a matter of designing mobile participation solutions that support and enhance the performance of citizens. Citizens are fairly accustomed to mobile technology, and this increases the likelihood that they would willingly adopt mobile participation solutions if they offer tangible gains when compared to current methods. Older citizens would require support in familiarizing with the new technology, while all citizens place the availability of reliable organizational and technical infrastructure as an important predictor of their intention to use. The influence of friends and family members was an important factor in citizens’ intention to use. Gender did not have any significant effects on the factors that affect intention to use. Age was a significant moderator with younger citizens requiring quick and convenient ways to interact with government while older people looked for more efficient ways of reaching government which should in turn lead to improved quality in services delivered.http://online.agris.czam2017Informatic

Digital Re-imagination Colloquium 2018: Preparing South Africa for a Digital Future through e-Skills

The theme of the 2018 colloquium, "Digital Re-imagination: Preparing South Africa for a Digital Future through e-Skills" sought to establish an innovative research network through providing a platform for government, academia, industry, education and civil society to share research, data and trends that will contribute to refining the mandate to develop the necessary e-skills capacity of South Africa With the dawn of every new age, the nature of work and our relationships change. The impact of these changes to the digital economy affect entire systems of production, management, and governance. For example, government is currently designed as linear and mechanistic yet the digital economy is made up of adaptive systems. William Gibson has famously been quoted for the phrase: "The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed." Given the extant amount of data available today, it is now possible to predict (within some margins of error) how people will behave in certain situations. Data is increasingly becoming better structured and easy to access. The question is, are we ready for the future? Are we ready to harness the opportunities that the digital economy has brought? Can the digital economy make a better South Africa for all? Technology today is able to perform exponentially better than we can; how then can we create new industries and new forms of governance? It is critical to re-think how systems are being implemented. Creativity and innovation is big business in the digital economy. Creativity and innovation moves contributions to beyond the individual and the group - to societal, disciplinary, national and global level. The prevalent economic paradigm of a winner who takes it all means that the lower income earners are increasingly more dissatisfied. One of the symptoms of any illness is pain. Pain can be seen in our society in the form of unemployment, poverty and the dissatisfaction with the status quo. The challenges in our society cry out for change - a new way of thinking about employment, wealth creation and governance. What are the real opportunities that the digital economy presents to the people of South Africa? Real opportunities are those which are not only available substantively, but are also achievable by the people for who they are created. The opportunities presented by the digital economy can only become real if we e-skill people to take advantage of those opportunities. Countries in the East have been able to adapt technologies without giving up the cultural values they hold dear. While the challenges we face in South Africa may be seen as a problem, they also present an opportunity to make a difference with Digital Skills. It is no longer enough to have a skill; technology, talent and insight are becoming critical as well. The colloquium received 13 submissions. These submissions include four full papers, one concept note and eight abstracts. The submissions were all blind peer reviewed by at least two reviewers. None of the authors nor editors were involved in reviewing their own submissions.ICT4D Flagship, University of South Africa National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA)School of Computin

Financial inclusion of the elderly : exploring the role of mobile banking adoption

The extant literature highlights that mobile banking offers various benefits for consumers. However, there is only a limited number of studies that investigate mobile banking adoption by the elderly. This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of mobile banking by the elderly in a developing country context. The authors explore the enablers, barriers and perceptions of the elderly towards mobile banking adoption. Data were collected through interviews and focus group sessions with respondents from KwaZulu Natal Province in South Africa. The study relies on the Actor-Network Theory as a lens through which to understand the interrelated factors that influence the elderly’s perception and adoption of mobile banking. The results reveal a low adoption of mobile banking by the elderly. In addition, it was evident that the barriers that influence the adoption of mobile banking by the elderly include a lack of information and understanding, security and trust issues, demographic factors, language, the complexity of mobile banking applications, and resistance to change. The identified important enablers towards the adoption of mobile banking include convenience, unlimited access, cost-effectiveness. The study proposes a mobile banking adoption model for the elderly and highlights the interrelated technical and non-technical factors influencing mobile banking adoption. Additionally, it offers design guiding principles aligned to the elderly’s needs and perceptions of mobile banking.https://aip.vse.czpm2021Informatic

Enabling social sustainability of e-participation through mobile technology

The social sustainability of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) projects such as e-government in developing nations remains a vexing issue. Particularly pertinent to the concept of e-government is that of electronic participation (e-participation) of citizens in services offered over an e-government platform, yet studies claim that such initiatives exacerbate the social exclusion problem. Globally, and specifically in Africa, the ineffective participation of citizens is marked by waning confidence in service delivery capabilities of political institutions, yet e-government is considered as one of the reform instrument for the attainment of good governance. Governments and pressure groups in many countries are realizing that these trends are problematic and are seeking to broaden and deepen citizen participation in governance, notably through the use of mobile technologies that continues to play a vital role in the trajectory of ICT development in Africa. This study advances the prominent role that mobile technology will play in anchoring e-participation strategies and policies to improve the social sustainability of ICT4D projects geared toward improving governance. The paper presents the results of cluster analysis of a survey aimed at assessing the accessibility, attitudes and the skills necessary for embedding mobile technology as part of an e-participation strategy.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/titd202016-10-31hb2016Informatic

Missed opportunities for introducing transformational government : assessing the contentious e-toll project in South Africa

PURPOSE : The purpose of this paper is to trace the trajectory of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, an electronic tolling (e-tolling) programme based in South Africa, to argue for the importance of taking advantage of similar public project opportunities to introduce the concept of Transformational Government (t-government). DESIGN / METHODLOGY / APPROACH : The research uses an interpretive perspective and utilizes actor–network theory (ANT) to identify the roles and interests of the various stakeholders within the project and assess how each stakeholder could have better influenced the project’s sustainability using a t-government approach. FINDINGS : The findings suggest that in the midst of waning global actor interest, and strong local displeasure about specific public projects, public participation offers an ideal opportunity to introduce the notion of t-government, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to transform government for citizen benefits. The research allowed the authors to posit that public participation projects are solid and indispensable avenues for introducing t-government. Part of this claim is hinged on the view that the specific e-toll project carries a visible ICT artefact, which has embodied its own patterns of use characterized by various viewpoints, values, opinions and rhetoric. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS : The paper elevates the importance of t-government as a means to bring about practical transformation in government using public projects. The paper suggestshowgovernments can use public participatory approaches to assimilate a new way of working in government. ORIGINALITY / VALUE This paper contributes to research on the emerging discourse on t-government. The paper also highlights the utility of ANT as a tool for understanding the dynamic public sector ICT programmes, their associated complexities and unintended consequences.http://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/tghb2016Informatic

Digital Skills Colloquium 2020: Enhancing Human Capacity for Digital Transformation

The theme for the Digital Skills 2020 Colloquium and Postgraduate Symposium was “Enhancing Human Capacity for Digital Transformation: It is about people”. It is widely accepted that current digital changes that are sweeping through the world are significantly altering the environment in which every organisation, including government, is operating. The scale and scope of the change is what makes all the difference. The way in which organisations respond to these environmental changes will determine their survival. The nature of a digitally transformed organisation cannot be foretold as every organisation will respond according to their local and global environment. There are, however, some uncomfortable realities; manufacturing jobs will not be reinstated, and even if they did, the manufacturing industries are necessarily more capital and not labour intensive (Stiglitz, 2017). Globally, we are experiencing rising unemployment and income inequality as well as increased demand for high skilled labour (Glenn, Florescu & Project, 2019). Accordingly, the Colloquium sought to explore the role played by digital skills in our rapidly transforming realities. The event attracted full academic research papers, case studies, research work that still in progress and practitioner reports and models that portray the NEMISA collaborative ethos involving government, industry and other sectors. Some plenary sessions and guest speakers shared insights on topics such as emerging technologies, blockchain, machine learning, gamification in education, application of 3D printing, upscaling of ICT for development programmes and citizen online safety.School of Computin

Report by the Knowledge for Innovation Unit of the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa, hosted at the University of South Africa

The environmental scan on digital skills in South Africa at the citizen level is a South African innovation in an emerging field aimed at understanding the state of digital skills in South Africa. The results from the study are designed to inform evidence-based decision-making on digital skills in South Africa, that is, how digital technologies, now integrated into daily living and increasingly integral to economic activity under the 4IR, can be productively and meaningfully used by individuals, organisations and communities

Continuing the discourse of women in information technology : a South African perspective

Currently, there is a worldwide decline in the participation of women in the information technology (IT) profession and education. This article continues the existing discourse on women in IT by discussing the South African domestic and IT work environments. The aim is to understand whether South African women experience similar levels of career problems in the IT industry as their international counterparts. Using critical interpretive analysis, we used the experiences of 48 women working in the private sector IT firms to investigate not only what attracts women in South Africa to the IT industry but also what discourages them from following a career in this field. The data were collected by means of an anonymous online questionnaire consisting of open- and close-ended Currently, there is a worldwide decline in the participation of women in the information technology (IT) profession and education. This article continues the existing discourse on women in IT by discussing the South African domestic and IT work environments. The aim is to understand whether South African women experience similar levels of career problems in the IT industry as their international counterparts. Using critical interpretive analysis, we used the experiences of 48 women working in the private sector IT firms to investigate not only what attracts women in South Africa to the IT industry but also what discourages them from following a career in this field. The data were collected by means of an anonymous online questionnaire consisting of open- and close-ended questions. This study provides an insight into the impact of domestic influences on women in the IT industry in South Africa. It also contributes to communities, such as, feminists, academia, practitioners, or governments, in the creation of an emancipation theory or a series of interventions to improve the situation for women in the South African IT industry.http://gtd.sagepub.comhb2016Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)Informatic

NEMISA Digital Skills Conference (Colloquium) 2023

The purpose of the colloquium and events centred around the central role that data plays today as a desirable commodity that must become an important part of massifying digital skilling efforts. Governments amass even more critical data that, if leveraged, could change the way public services are delivered, and even change the social and economic fortunes of any country. Therefore, smart governments and organisations increasingly require data skills to gain insights and foresight, to secure themselves, and for improved decision making and efficiency. However, data skills are scarce, and even more challenging is the inconsistency of the associated training programs with most curated for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Nonetheless, the interdisciplinary yet agnostic nature of data means that there is opportunity to expand data skills into the non-STEM disciplines as well.College of Engineering, Science and Technolog