ICT SECTOR SUMMIT 3 - 4 June 2002.

High-level representatives from labour, government, business and the community will gather on 3 and 4 June at Gallagher Estates, Midrand, to finalise a new vision to ensure the growth and development of the information and communications technologies (ICT) sector.

This summit, being held under the auspices of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac), is critical if the ICT sector is to reach its full potential.

The decision to hold an ICT sector summit emanates from an agreement reached at the Presidential Jobs Summit in 1998. The stakeholders agreed to hold sector summits in those sectors with high potential to create or lose jobs. This sector summit will cover the broad spectrum of broadcasting, telecommunications, postal services and IT sub sectors.

The summit will be officially opened by Deputy President Jacob Zuma and is expected to attract more than 600 delegates. The Minister for Communications, Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, and leaders from Business, Community and Labour, will address the summit.

In the run-up to the summit, a structured process of intense debate and negotiations has taken place between the four stakeholders, under the auspices of Nedlac. This process has resulted in recognition of a number of issues, key amongst which are:

• the ICT sector's catalytic role in economic and social development, integrating economic activity, enhancing labour markets and promoting social cohesion;
• its dramatic growth and potential for future growth;
• the potential for job retention and creation within the sector, against a background of job losses in certain sub-sectors;
• access to affordable, quality ICT services as a basic right;
• the need to align stakeholders' programmes and actions; and
• defining a growth trajectory for the sector that will maximize employment creation, investment and growth, and raise living standards on a broader scale.

Against this background, the summit is expected to deliberate on and address the following issues:

• increasing investment in the ICT sector;
• improving services for the formal sector;
• improving services for under-serviced areas;
• human resource development and the impact of HIV;
• industrial strategy and ICT;
• research and development; and
• the ICT sector's role in the New Economic Plan for African Development (Nepad).

Critical to the success of this summit is the formulation of a post-summit process to ensure that the goals of the summit are implemented.

For registration details, please contact juliw@agency.co.za or Julie at the Agency on 011 235 3400.

For more information:

Nedlac: Jennifer Wilson at 011 328 4211 / 083 652 8524

Government: Jerry Majatladi, Department of Communications at 082 889-3381

Labour: Tanya van Meelis at 082 685 0540

Business: Bill Lacey 446 3800 / Themba Ndlovu at 082 750 9239

Community: Sipho Masuku at 072 257 3004