The Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services’ Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Sector Council has met all of its initial mandates and will now continue its work to guide and review the implementation of the amended and gazetted BBBEE ICT Sector Code.

In November 2016, Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Dr Siyabonga Cwele announced the gazetted final amended sector code. He also formally launched the BBBEE ICT Sector Council that had been in operation since its formation in September 2015.

The BBBEE ICT Sector Council on Tuesday, convening its ninth and final stakeholder engagement over the codes, had successfully concluded the alignment between the Department of Trade and Industry’s generic Codes of Good Practice and the sector-specific amended BBBEE ICT Sector Code and had significantly progressed the related transformation initiatives in the industry.

However, BBBEE ICT Sector Council chairperson Nokuzola Ehrens said that, with the initial work completed, including the alignment and requisite amendments of the industry’s code and the gazetting of its amendments, more work had to be done to guide, monitor and review the implementation of the code and develop and foster common standards and codes of ethics, besides others.

“When it comes to our objectives, the work continues. We are the custodians of the ICT sector code,” she told delegates at the sector engagement in Kempton Park.

The gazette tasked the BBBEE ICT Sector Council with “broadening the meaningful participation of blacks, women, youth and people with disabilities in the ICT sector” and made it responsible for the measurement of the progress being made towards an inclusive digital economy.

“We want to stimulate and support growth in the ICT sector,” added BBBEE ICT Sector Council deputy chairperson Andile Tlhoaele, unpacking the aims of the amended BBBEE ICT Sector Code.

The BBBEE ICT Sector Code aims to promote the effective implementation of BBBEE in the ICT sector; foster equality; provide an environment conducive to transparency, fairness and consistency; and bridge the digital divide.

In addition, it aimed to advance socioeconomic transformation within the sector; assist in the reduction of unemployment and support skills development and training initiatives, which has emerged as a priority element.

“This [skills development] is critical to us as a council,” said Tlhoaele, pointing to the toughening up of the scorecards in this element.

“The BBBEE ICT Sector Code will set the tone of where we want to go [as an industry],” he added.

The stakeholder engagement was aimed at unpacking the codes and its implementation to consulting verification agencies, industry bodies, large companies, small, medium-sized and microenterprises and all other relevant stakeholders.