The Provincial Government signed a memorandum of understanding with Google South Africa in Polokwane last Thursday that will see the internet service training and equipping young people from rural communities and in Limpopo with digital skills that can help them grow their business and careers by 2022.
Through the partnership, small business owners are set to build their online presence and find new customers. Job seekers can grow their skills in order to find new jobs and advance their careers, whilst start-ups can learn how to get their ideas the exposure they need to succeed.
Director General Corporate Management Support at the Office of the Premier, Nana Manamela on behalf of the Premier Stan Mathabatha said they embraced the commitment from Google to equip millions of youth with digital skills and necessary tools to help them build an online presence, create content, understand web design and to be able to develop their own applications. “We cannot over emphasise the need to train and equip our young people to become fully competitive digital citizens. This will ensure that our youth are able to create innovative campaigns that would help to promote safe internet usage. As the province we will be able to be the producers of technologies rather than just the consumers of these technologies. It is also important for our youth to be properly positioned in a way that would allow them to champion their rights in a digital world. These objectives are well in line with our e-Government strategy. As you would know, in terms of our e-Government strategy, digital skills is one of the priorities aimed at assisting citizens to access and utilise online services,” Manamela remarked.
She stressed that the Provincial Government is committed to promoting digital skills, computer literacy and cybersecurity amongst our youthful population. “It is for this reason that we view this partnership with Google South Africa as significant and highly beneficial for our youth. The issue of digital transformation is at the apex of our priority list. The Limpopo Provincial government aims to address and become productive members of the digital ecosystem.
Our province is in a process of turning attention and resources to providing information and services on-line, exploring digital democracy, and using technology for economic development. As a result, government service will be revolutionised as we progress into the 4th Industrial Revolution Digital Age.”
“In this new age, good government is accessible government. Government will not only change, but citizens and the way they relate to government will also change as a result of this revolution.
The use of ICTs in government must ensure that all citizens have equal access. In a fair and rational society, all individuals have equal opportunity to participate in, or benefit from, the use of ICT resources by virtue of their citizenship, regardless of race, gender, religion, age, disability, language, or any other such factors,” added Manamela.
Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google South Africa said they chose to partner with Limpopo because they want to scale digital skills in the province.“Through this we will be able to harness digital skills in addressing socio-economic issues in the province.”
Story: Herbert Rachuene
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