Africa eGov Summit’s Next Stop Is A Caucus

CIO Africa always brings it when it comes to IT events. This October, a new baby came to town – The Africa eGov Summit. It was definitely a first in a long line of firsts that brought with it a twin – the idea of an Africa eGov Caucas.

Speaking during the opening of the two-day event that attracted participants from all corners of the continent, Harry Hare, Chairman & Publisher, CIO Africa, said, “This is a really big day for us. It is honestly overwhelming to see the kind of support we have received from industry and policymakers and all the people interested in eGov.”

To take you through the thinking behind eGov, CIO Africa wanted to bring together all the practitioners. People in business, the private sector, IT people in government, the policymakers responsible for driving the government agenda and innovation in government and bring them under one platform to spark conversation; see what works and doesn’t work. All with the intent to move forward and collaborate as people interested in the space.

Businesses across the country and all over the world have been trying to get into the eGovernment space to inspire efficiency, to give citizens access and business services in an easier. Those are the benefits of eGov. That is why CIO Africa felt the need to talk about it and bring in the stakeholders and get the conversation started.

Why the eGov Summit? There are actually several key reasons:

Bring policy makers, IT Practitioners and professionals on one platform to:
Share knowledge and insights
Update of trends on useful technologies in eGovernment
Showcase new technologies
Encourage networking among professionals in eGovernment in the continent.

Hare also added that “We want to start the Africa eGovernment Caucus where similar-minded people can start talking about eGov in a different way, in a more practical way and getting people interested in working together. Different governments already have their strategies. So how do we make sure the strategy for Tanzania and the strategy for Nigeria are not too far off? And that at some point when we have our United States of Africa; then our systems can actually talk to each other. That is what we need to think about.”

He added that “We are trying to bring in organisations that are in this space such Smart City and its Secretariat, the Africa Union through AfCTA; because if we bring technology into AfCFTA, you immediately see how we can catalyse intercountry trade, bring in the UN Economic Commission for Africa. This is a big thing for us.”

The Summit foresees a future where bodies are brought together and an Africa that is more connected, talking with each other and start trading with each other.

“We are welcoming everyone who wants to do things differently and participate in envisioning an Africa eGovernment Caucus.”

This is the beginning of a movement. Like minds will then: