There is widespread agreement of the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) in building equitable prosperity and globally competitive economies. Effective use of these technologies, however, requires building new capacities and skills, here referred to as e-skills, not only in the working force but the entire population. These skills are in very short supply all over the developing world, and are of particular concern in South Africa. In order to appropriately address this issue, South African government has taken a systematic and systemic approach , to address the matter and has developed an approach involving a number of stakeholders from all spheres of government, business, education, civil society and organized labor. That effort led to the e-Skills Summit (2010), which provided the guidelines for the creation of the national e-skills policy named the National e-Skills Plan of Action (NeSPA). This paper, based on descriptive case study methodology, brings a portrayal of that systematic and systemic approach. The paper, aimed at academics, practitioners and policy-makers, also depicts the e-skilling key success factors, expected impact of NeSPA, and the principles for monitoring and evaluation. The paper ends with a brief description of some lessons learned during the initial implementation phase of NeSPA.

In many international settings, developing economies are in danger of declining as the digital divide becomes the knowledge divide. This decline attacks the very fabric of cohesion and purpose for these regional societies delivering increased social, health, economic and sustainability problems. The examples in this book will provide leaders, policy developers, researchers, students and community with successful strategies and principles of ICT use in education to address these needs.This book will discuss how educational technology can be used to transform education and assist developing communities to close the knowledge divide. It will provide comprehensive coverage of educational technology in development in different professions and parts of world. The book will provide examples of best practice, case studies and principles for educators, community leaders, researchers and policy advisers on the use of educational technology for development. In particular, it will provide examples of how education can be provided more flexibly in order to provide access to hitherto disadvantaged communities and individuals.

This chapter describes the emergence of m-government in Africa. It examines the introduction of m-government in South Africa. The chapter also provides key examples of similar experiences with m-government in other African countries. The chapter focuses on the emerging patterns of m-government use, and it identi?es key issues for consideration in its deployment in the African context. The chapter argues that m-government potential in South Africa in particular must be explored as a complement to the on-going Gateway Project e-government initiatives. The rapid penetration of mobile phones in South Africa offers clear opportunity to deliver government services via this new channel. Security, lack of content development capacity, expensive modern handsets, and high recharge rates are highlighted as key barriers to m-government deployment to the poor in South Africa. The authors contend that development of an m-government strategy and a coordinated effort in awareness generation and service deployment will help deliver a more viable m-government.

By the end of 2005, an emerging era of e-government had arrived in South Africa with the promise to transform public service delivery and the relationships between government, business and the citizens. E-government has been perceived as the second revolution in public management after the new public management of the 1980s (Saxena, 2005; Teicher, Hughes, & Dow, 2002). The advent of e-government information and services globally has brought increasing focus on the need to develop user-oriented quality Web portal services. Prior to this time, governments paid little attention to citizen service quality issues (Teicher et al., 2002).

The design of technology to facilitate social interaction of urban residents is increasingly important for many countries around the world. México and South Africa are particularly prone to issues that stem from urban densification and a lack of adequate affordable housing. Governments look to ICT to take on a mediating and facilitating role. This paper reports on research-inprogress of a tri-continental study. The external factors and aims of this pilot project identifying local case studies to prepare for a larger and longer term international comparison of local community networking approaches are examined. It is argued that by careful attention to cultural and social assets in the community, innovations will be engendered which enhance economic and social development. Preliminary design implications for the support of neighbourhood interactions across different socio-cultural contexts are presented.

An e-community forum program has been commenced in the Western Cape Province of South Africa in order to improve e-participation in underserved communities. This program is being examined through a dual approach of program delivery and PAR. Initial results point to a complex set of interacting political, service delivery, structural and societal issues that provide challenges for research in this area. This paper discusses these issues as an input into 'eParticipation Research Challenges'.

From the Publisher:Successful strategies and principles for using information technology to transform regional and community economies exist, and they are presented here with clarity and insight in a way that is useful to both practitioners and researchers. Although the communities discussed here range far and wide, from those in Russia to Australia and to Kenya, any community can benefit from enhanced utilization of information and communications technology.