Business delegates, officials to brainstorm solutions at ICT indaba

The 4th Industrial Revolution, coupled with the art of managing disruption, is dominating boardroom discussions, giving impetus to the search for solutions to new challenges, Imbizo Group’s CEO, Motse Mfuleni, says.

Mfuleni is the driver of the annual Information, Communication and Technology Summit (ICTS) taking place at the International Convention Centre in East London from November 22 to 24.

“It harnesses the problemsolving ability of businesses and the public sectors, by allowing leading IT sector experts, academics, the government sector and businesses to meet, giving them the opportunity to harness the power of group think.”

In addition, business and public sector participants have an opportunity to network and sell their ideas and solutions to tame current and identified future challenges.

“It will be a platform for delegates, many of them innovators, to share their thoughts on trending ideas and how these can be applicable in solving the country’s challenges.”

The ICTS, which is in its 16th year, is being staged for the first time since the pandemic.

Over the years, innovations and strategies discussed at the indaba have flowed through to measurable and positive changes and success stories, and Mfuleni expects similar results from the 2022 edition.

He said that due to the global speed of digital transformation, and its footprint in every sector, there was an ongoing need to rethink ICT strategies.

“If businesses and governments are not augmenting infrastructure, they will be left behind regarding capabilities, performance and efficiency.

“In the foreseeable future, maintaining existing tools will actually result in [them] going backwards, being left trailing way down the innovation curve.”

Mfuleni is the founder of Mfuleni and Friends (M&F) projects, which gives influential people from many sectors the opportunity to engage with young black entrepreneurs.

He said M&F had helped close the information gap created by the geographical distance of the Eastern Cape, with many places in the province far away from centres of business influence. It focused on information sharing, networking and deal making.

“It is an imbizo of dialogue and ideas, supporting projects that encourage entrepreneurship and self-reliance, providing employment and growth opportunities.”