Transcript THE ALIGNMENT OF NATIONAL, PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL …

The trends of ICT forums in Local
Government
14 February 2006
Nkuna William
Why ICT are important for L.G. (1)
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E-Government
“the use by government agencies of information and
communication technologies (ICT) that have the
ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses,
and government. “
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better delivery of government services to citizens
improved interactions with business and industry
citizen empowerment through access to information
more efficient government management
Resulting in
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increased transparency
greater convenience
potential for revenue growth, and/or cost reductions
less likelihood of corruption
“it is estimated that up to 80 percent of citizengovernment transactions take place at the local level”
Why ICT’s are important for L.G. (2)
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Local Government is primarily the interface for Service
Delivery
ICT’s allow for the creation of one-stop support centres
(portals)
24 X 7 X 365 channel
Modern developments integrating powerful computing and
communications technologies offer exciting opportunities in
the interfacing between local authorities and their
communities.
ICT’s facilitate cheap, high speed, interactive
communications between individuals and institutions.
o Distance and time have arguably become an irrelevance
having little impact upon the marginal cost of
communication.
Accessibility and Exclusion (problems of accessibility and
exclusion may be inherent in web technology)
Assessment of Current ICT Status (1)
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3 Independent spheres of Government (no single jurisdiction)
o National vs. Provincial vs. Local (Metropolitan, District,
Local)
o Own budgets and own discretion (within the parameters
of the PFMA at National and Provincial Level and MFMA at
the Local Government Level)
Disparate Systems within Provinces, Districts and
Municipalities i.t.o.
o Payroll, General Ledger, Billing and Debtors, Asset
Management, Creditors and Inventory Systems
Duplicate initiatives - example Geographical Information
Systems
Little or no standardisation – example Web addresses for
Municipalities
o (.co.za; .com; .org)
Little or no Interoperability of applications (within or between
municipalities)
Assessment of Current ICT Status (2)
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Based on 2004 ForgeAhead research < 20% of Municipalities
have Master Systems Plans (MSP’s)
Culture of non co-operation, continued operation in silos
SITA Regulations apply to National and Provincial Government
but not to the Local Government Level
Local Government is represented by their Provincial GITO at
the GITOC
Dependence on vendors
o Little or No Skills Transfer
All of the above happens in the context of Resource, Capacity
and Capability constraints
o Budget, Human Resources
o Skills
o Retention of I.T. staff – High turnover of CIO’s
As a result of the above very little co-ordination and alignment
currently takes place
Mechanisms to improve alignment and
co-ordination
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Creation of a Local Government Forums (would involve
Provinces, Metropolitan, District and Local Municipalities)
as well as the relevant National Stakeholders
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Local Government involvement in GITOC (improve
National, Provincial and Local communication and coordination)
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Integrate ICT with other IGR functions ( MinMec & PCC)
Mechanisms to improve alignment and
co-ordination
ICT forums in Provinces
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Provision of Best Practice Models - Based on size and type of
municipalities
Provision of Policies
Provision of templates
Shared services
Economies of scales ( Procurement)
Desired Outcomes (1) - Summary
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E-Government
o Cannot happen without Local Government
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Alignment and Co-ordination among Provincial and Local
Governments
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MSP’s completed and implemented
o Standardisation
o Interoperability
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For Local Government to be in a position to
o Play its role in the Information Society
o Evaluate new technologies (VOIP, 3G, Open Source,
Mobile Government, Wireless Technologies)
o Achieve economies of scale (ex. GIS)
Desired Outcomes (2) - Summary
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IT Consolidation
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… helps remove redundancy and reduce costs, while enabling
better sharing and use of valuable information across a
government enterprise. Mainframe consolidation, server
virtualization, enterprise architecture, all help to reduce the
unneeded, while building better access to databases and
increasing the utility of computing systems and networks.
(www.govtech.net)
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Standardisation of Web Domains
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Linkage of websites to the Batho Pele Portal
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Better Information and Knowledge Management
Proposed Structure
National GITO Council
National Depts, Provincial GiTOC’s
SITA National, SOE’s Private Sector Rep,
OGCIO ( dpsa), SALGA
Provincial GITO
Provincial Depts, SITA ( Province)
Chairperson
Chairperson
Sectretary
Provincial LG forums
Districts IT managers
District LG Forums
IT Managers in the locals
Processes Underway ( 1)
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Establishment of ICT forums
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Presentation made to GITOC council
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Discussions with PGITOC, Provincial Depts of Local
Government, SITA Regional Managers
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Finalise the structure ( based on Provincial needs)
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Share information concerning Local government (
Research workshops with Forge Ahead)
Processes Underway ( 2)
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Project Consolidate imperatives
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Clarified the role of SITA
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Developing the strategic engagement with SITA
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Developing proposals for Project Consolidate interventions
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Shared services
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Billing systems
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The role of MPCC
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MSP development and implementations
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Training and skills development
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Procurement of ICT products and services
Progress Report
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Mpumalanga – (Finalised structure – 2/3 of the province
complete)
Limpopo – ( Launch today)
North West ( Ratified by the MEC)
Gauteng ( engagements underway- assisted by SITA
regional offices)
Northern Cape ( Presentation to be made the provincial
IGR forums)
Free State ( Initial discussions with the CIO office)
KwaZulu-Natal ( Initial discussions)
Eastern Cape ( Already established)
Western Cape ( Already established)