Minister of Communication: Cisco at the forefront of providing ICT skills

June 19, 2007 JOHANNESBURG - Government has congratulated Cisco for its efforts in reducing the information, communication and technology (ICT) skills gap in South Africa. This was echoed during a keynote address by Dr. Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, minister of Communications last night, where she commended Cisco on 10 years of successful ICT skills transfer.

“We applaud Cisco for identifying this critical niche area in development – an effort to raise our country’s ICT skills. Cisco has bravely reduced the gap and is in the forefront of providing ICT services to schools, colleges and universities within Southern Africa,” said the minister. She emphasised that ICTs do not only enhance government’s value and work, but that they affect society as a whole, as the country moves through significant economic and transformational progresses. “The admirable work that Cisco is doing here, under these challenging conditions, is therefore even more admirable.”

Commenting on Cisco’s empowerment initiatives, area academy manager, Alfie Hamid, says, “Cisco is committed to contributing to the social and economic transformation of South Africa. We have contributed in excess of R30-million to corporate, social and enterprise development in the last 12 months. We have also made great strides in transforming our own organisation to better reflect the demographics of South Africa.”

Over 5000 students have graduated from the Cisco Networking Academy programme in South Africa alone. The programme is geared towards fast-tracking the development of critical networking skills, which are integral to support the growth of the economy. Given the fact that government has outlined the ICT sector as a critical enabler to deliver on the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA) initiative, fast tracking the development of relevant skills has become a focus for Cisco. To date, Cisco has invested over $150-million US dollars in the Networking Academy programme globally. The South African office has facilitated the sustainable opening of 47 Networking Academies across the country, through the donation of networking equipment, e-learning curricula and training for instructors.

Amongst the attendees was Mrs Tae Yoo, senior vice president for corporate affairs at Cisco, as well as, Mr. Duncan Hindle the director general for the Department of Education. Mr Hindle commended the programme’s great progress in developing the levels of education in South Africa. “The rapid changes in our country, especially around the education sector, require an improved way of learning and teaching. It is also imperative for us – the department of education – that learners are provided with relevant skills; Cisco is playing a crucial role in assisting us in this regard.” He further stated that the key challenge lying ahead for the programme, would be to develop and impact learners who are disadvantaged and do not have access to computers.

Hamid said the Networking Academy programme provides an excellent model for successful public-private partnerships between business, government and educational institutions, as it enables the right skills to get out to the market quickly and cost effectively. “As Cisco, we see the programme as vital in assisting government to implement and sustain its economic growth initiative, through the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA),” he concluded.

For enquiries, please contact:

Zweli Mnisi, public relations and executive communications manager: Cisco
Tel: +27 83 616 6175
Email: zmnisi@cisco.com