User Rating: / 0
PoorBest 

 

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

 

 

The need for mobility in the public sector is as pressing as it is in any other sector, and for MTN, the ability to provide not just a connection but also a set of services around the connection is of utmost priority.

 

Motseki Majake, senior manager, Government at MTN, explains that the drive to improve service delivery by Government is a key factor that needs to be taken into consideration when crafting solutions.

 

“E-government is driven by two key components,” he says. “First, there are services that enable the functionality which is core to any e-government strategy, but equally important, and from an MTN perspective, vital, is the delivery of the connectivity that links these applications systems to each other as well as the broader public.”

 

He adds that there is still a lot of complexity that needs to be taken out of the system. “The complexity that is inherent in all systems is something that we all have to strive to eliminate. This is especially true in the public sector, where all too often we find that there is a disconnect between the intentions of government when planning programmes and the ability of service providers to execute.

 

“It is clear that there is the political will to deliver, but now telecommunications community needs to assist government to execute on that promise, “ he says.

 

“It clear that government intends to deliver services”, he says. The teacher laptop programme is one such an intervention where government has set itself a clear objective. Service Providers such as MTN would need to align themselves to understand what the teacher laptop programmed means to each teacher.

 

“The public sector is in the process of transitioning from being a purchaser of product to being a true consumer of services, and its suppliers, such as MTN, have to adapt the way they do business in order to meet the new needs,” he comments.

 

E-government is a key aspect of enabling government to reach its constituency as it allows the state to deliver services more effectively. Some of these services will be internally focused, while others will be citizen focused. Either way, it will be essential for mobility to remain an integral part of the equation.

 

Majake points out that once e-government services are mobile enabled, the opportunities for increasing the efficiency of government services increase dramatically. He says that simply being able to deliver a range of services that are accessible on cellphones, which almost every South African uses on a daily basis, means that other channels are freed up to deal with enquiries, which require more personal attention.

 

“As a service provider, we need to act as a guide for government in finding solutions to the problems confronting Government,” he says. “To this end, MTN established a solutions consulting division within MTN, which gives us and our public sectors clients access to some of the smartest minds in the mobile space in SA.”

 

The solution consulting team at MTN is able to provide the rest of the organisation as well as customers with access to continuous guidance and thought leadership on the issues relevant to