Expert calls for ICT watchdog body
The future of the workforce is in ICT
There is urgent need to establish a networking and governing body for the Information Communication Technology ( ICT) sector as it has several areas of expertise, says ICT expert Segametsi Mafa.
Mafa says instead of players waiting for government to establish such a body, they should come together and drive the profession.
“Right now, we have a few bodies which are not very progressive and not known to many. This makes it hard to get together and have a strong voice that will guide government on where and how to improve. We work in isolation and it is not easy to collaborate,” she said. Further stating that with one strong regulatory body, players will be able to identify and recognise the different expertise within ICT . “It is also hard to get information on what is currently happening,” she said.
The ICT sector is male- dominated, as often times women are seemingly intimidated by technology, while Mafa is one of the women making strides in the sector. She explains that ICT is the sector of the future of the global workforce and it offers a plethora of opportunities that Batswana need to tap into.
The job market in Botswana is saturated and there is skills mismatch, which has resulted in many young people being unemployed and some becoming mediocre in their workplaces because they lack the acumen and expertise in the fields they work in.
Mafa said young people looking for solid careers should consider ICT, emphasising that the future of the world of work is in ICT, adding that there are many opportunities that one can tap into especially looking at 4IR season we are all in.
“Youth and aspiring entrepreneurs can tap into new technologies that are available and use them to be creative and innovate. They can develop apps and devise solutions for current problems and deficiencies, educate and give awareness to different groups of people. They can also pursue courses online to acquire new skills, and use those such as digital marketing to manage social media pages for most businesses who are trying to increase their digital footprint,” Mafa said.
She further encouraged young people to consider grants and loans that are available for youths and startups, both locally and internationally. For parents, she advises that they teach their children skills that are relevant to them today such as coding, robotics and cyber security. “Find opportunities within small businesses and help automate their processes; start somewhere and take it from there,” she said.
Mafa has a rich profile in ICT, including being head of information and knowledge management at LEA, IT Manager ( Operations) at Debswana Jwaneng, IT Operations Manager at Botswana Examinations Council, as well Assistant User Support Manager and Systems Analyst at University of Botswana, Central Transport Organisation and Government ( Computer Bureau). Mafa’s career started after graduating with BSc Computer Science from the University of Botswana in 2001. Her career grew steadily following her first job in Government. She noted that of all the places that she worked in, she grew technically and in management at CTO, BEC and Debswana.
“When I got to CTO, we were setting up a new IT department; there were quite a lot of challenging and interesting projects at the time. Everyone was understanding and embraced everything we were putting up. ICT was a real value add to the organisation,” she said.
Mafa has since left formal employment to pursue entrepreneurship, and is now the founder and director of Service Xcellence.
Her company does ICT consulting, with the core being IT Governance and IT Service Management with technical and applications support; website design and management, as well as consultancy in Strategy Management, Project Management and Enterprise Risk Management. They have also done webinars and talks on cybersecurity, data privacy, digital transformation and continue to explore many other topics.
Mafa says their flagship conference, the Annual ICT Graduates Conference, which is now on its third year and slated for November 2022, is aimed at giving graduates life skills to traverse the world.
“With the knowledge they have from the classroom they need to know that with or without a job, they are fully armed with what the world needs today,” she says.