Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      World Bank set to back South Africa’s big energy grid roll-out

      20 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Sita hits back at critics, promises faster, automated procurement

      20 June 2025

      The transatlantic race to create the first television

      20 June 2025

      Listed: All the MVNOs in South Africa – 2025 edition

      19 June 2025
    • World

      Watch | Starship rocket explodes in setback to Musk’s Mars mission

      19 June 2025

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Report paints bleak picture of ICT in SA

    Report paints bleak picture of ICT in SA

    By Editor9 April 2012
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    SA is the third most capable African country when it comes to leveraging the benefits of technology to improve the lives of its citizens and grow its economy, behind Mauritius and Tunisia. Worldwide, SA is in an unimpressive 72nd place.

    This is according to the 2012 edition of the World Economic Forum’s Global Information and Technology Report.

    The report says sub-Saharan Africa remains the most poorly connected region on earth, with a distinct lack of access to affordable information and communication technology (ICT) and a severe lack of skills.

    Subtitled “Living in a Hyperconnected World”, the report ranks countries on a wide range of criteria and SA performs particularly poorly in some troubling ones. It places 133rd out of 142 countries in terms of the quality of its education and a dismal 138th in terms of the quality of its mathematics and science education.

    In terms of the impact of ICT on access to basic services, SA is placed 115th; it’s 100th when comes to Internet access in schools. Regarding the percentage of the population using the Internet, SA is in 108th position.

    As for government procurement of cutting-edge technology, SA fares poorly at 103rd, and barely performs any better in terms of tertiary education enrolment rates, where it achieved 102nd position overall, compared to 51st for enrolments at secondary level.

    However, it’s not all bad news. According to the report, SA has some of the finest management schools in the world, ranking 13th in this category. It’s also seen to have one of the most effective legal systems when it comes to settling disputes (16th) and also ranks in the top 20 for the number of procedures in place to enforce a contract, levels of software piracy and the efficiency of the legal system when it comes to challenging regulations.

    The report groups the nations surveyed into one of four categories. At the top are “advanced” nations, followed by “transitional”, “emerging”, and “constrained”. Alarmingly, SA falls into the last of these categories.

    The message from the report is clear: SA not only remains well behind the developed world in terms of connectivity and its ability to leverage technology to develop the economy and improve living standards, but it is no longer even the shining light in Africa.  — (c) 2012 TechCentral



    World Economic Forum
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleHTC: the mobile brand from nowhere
    Next Article Facebook coughs up $1bn for Instagram

    Related Posts

    And now for the industrial metaverse

    24 January 2024

    Altman, Gates weigh AI risks in world’s big election year

    17 January 2024

    SA caught up in 4IR hype – let’s get the basics right first

    23 August 2019
    Company News

    Making IT happen: how Trade Link gears up to enable SA retail strategies

    20 June 2025

    Why parents choose CambriLearn for online education

    19 June 2025

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.