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USAASA to forge ties with the private sector [Bizcommunity (South Africa)](Bizcommunity (South Africa) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The Universal Services and Access Agency of South Africa will be hosting the ICT industry to forge ties between the agency and the private sector with the aim of speeding up the process of rolling broadband infrastructure in rural and under-served communities. This is in support of the National Development Plan's programme of action, which seeks to ensure that, by 2020, all communities should have access to ICT and by 2030 they should have service. In responding to a call by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, in his State of the Nation Address, the President said: "We are determined to work with the private sector to remove obstacles to investment. We would like to see the private sector showing as much confidence in the economy as the public sector. We will continue to engage business in promoting inclusive growth and to build a more prosperous society." It is for this reason that USAASA, in line with its mandate, has taken a decision to engage the private sector to align its CSI spending and strategy to projects that together with the ICT industry, we can deliver on, for the next three to five years. The USAASA chairman, Pumla Radebe, said: "We need to accelerate connectivity and e-learning in order to promote maths and science, amongst other priorities. It is for the reason we call upon the industry to direct its CSI/SED to projects that USAASA, together with the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, is implementing in under-served and rural areas." She continued: "In partnership with the private sector, we intend to make a bigger and visible impact to needy communities."Inaugural meeting The first inaugural meeting took place on 30 July 2014, at the Protea Hotel, Midrand. The purpose of the meeting is to draft a pact between USAASA and the private sector to connect as many schools as possible and provide e-learning to the poorest of the poor. The Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services will, in the end, sign the pact between the private sector and USAASA. All rights reserved. (c) 2014 Bizcommunity.com Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |