By Qondile Ntiwane | 2020-09-28
Mbabane – The Eswatini Communications Commission, through the Universal Access and Service (UAS) Fund, is looking to establish regional ICT Hubs to drive digital innovation, stimulate and support ICT entrepreneurial activity across Eswatini.
The Eswatini ICT hubs are in fulfilment of Programme four of the 2018 – 2021 UAS Strategy, which is focused on the development of Eswatini digital access centres.
The programme is a multi-stakeholder intervention to be rolled out in phases, which ultimately seeks to stimulate demand for the infrastructure and services being curated and developed in the Kingdom by network operators.
The ICT hubs are designed to be multi-sector oriented centres that will support local ICT innovation. These will serve as a conduit for developing a number of ICT awareness activities, while also creating economic viability for commercial ICT development in the different regions.
ESCCOM Chief Executive Mvilawemphi Dlamini said the commission was looking to empower local ICT entrepreneurs, from the communities, to successfully establish and manage these ICT Hubs.
“An operational ICT hub is expected to service the community for at least six days a week with services such as, internet café; postage and courier services; to serve as an e-commerce collection and delivery point; to empower the local community on ICT skills and multimedia areas which will offer services such as photocopying, scanning, typing, printing, scaling, drawings as well as web design,” he said.
Dlamini added that in addition to these commercial functionalities, the ICT hub was expected to support existing Eswatini government service centres, by providing access to the education, health and e-government portals.
He said this would enable the community to access important government updates and news, and also promote jobs and commercial opportunities through community notice boards.
“Eswatini currently has Government service centres in areas such Siphofaneni, Lugongolweni and Luve in the Lubombo region, Hlutsi and Gaga in the Shiselweni region as well as Mayiwane and Mhlambanyatsi in the Hhohho region.
“Members of the public use these centres to access revenue collection, civil registration, social welfare, ID and travel document services without having to travel to the major towns,” he said.
The commission mentioned that the ICT hub would need to have basic infrastructure such as consistent internet connectivity, enough space to support hot desking and meeting rooms with video conferencing facilities.
The commission has since issued a request for proposal from companies for the construction of these hubs, with the deadline for submissions slated for October 16, 2020 at noon.
They also stated that the next phase of the UAS programme, being programme 5, would focus on Universal Broadcasting Access.
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