The two-day Digital Ubuntu: CIO Roundtable on 29 and 30 October at Ocean Sciences Campus in Gqeberha brought together chief information officers (CIOs) and technology leaders to exchange ideas on digital transformation, innovation and inclusive growth powered by Ubuntu values.
Co-hosted by the South African Local Government Association and the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Forum, the roundtable was the first of what is hoped to be an ongoing conversation.
Dr Bukelwa Ngoqo, Acting Deputy Director of the Mandela University Africa Hub
Opening the event on Wednesday, Dr Bukelwa Ngoqo, Acting Deputy Director of the Mandela University Africa Hub, said the goal was to create an enabling environment for knowledge exchange and collaboration.
“We aim to foster meaningful dialogue, explore new trends in technology advancement and identify opportunities for partnership that can benefit our institutions and communities,” she said.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor for People and Operations Luthando Jack set the challenge for delegates: use the two days as a thinking space to co-create a digital transformation roadmap for the Eastern Cape.
“This promises to be an intellectual feast with regards to setting the digital transformation agenda for the province,” said Jack. “We gathered here to map and co-create the digital future for the Eastern Cape. Digital innovations should not only be tools; they are catalysts to support the aspirations, mission and vision of our people.”
However, Jack warned that technology leaders needed to understand the realities facing communities in the province before designing solutions. There was a distinction to be drawn between digital literacy and digital fluency and young people, he noted, do not automatically make the most effective use of technology simply because they have grown up with it. Very few use laptops or cell phones optimally for educational or economic advancement.
Mandela University Africa Hub staff, Luthando Lwana (back left), Zimasa Mbovane and Katekani Mabunda (seated) welcomed delegates to the first Digital Ubuntu: CIO Roundtable
Professor Thobekani Lose, Director of the Mandela University Africa Hub, emphasised the importance of bringing together diverse voices for genuine collaboration.
“We are deeply connected to the Eastern Cape, and if it is not us who develop it, who will?” he said. “The Hub’s DNA aligns with the University's vision of becoming an entrepreneurial university that empowers students to create jobs and drive innovation. Over the past year we have worked with students and businesses to employ others and contribute to the local economy.”
Themed “Aligning Digital Humanism Thinking to inclusive e-Governance”, the roundtable reflects Mandela University's commitment to positioning the Eastern Cape as a hub for inclusive digital transformation.
By connecting thinkers and practitioners, the University aims to bridge the gap between theory and implementation and to contribute to sustainable futures in the spirit of Ubuntu: "I am because you are."
The event is expected to set a precedent for ongoing collaboration between universities, government and business in advancing digital transformation across the province.