Matthew de Gale, ICT Services Manager, SANGONeT, told delegates attending the SAGONeT Conference and Exhibition held at the Wanderers club Johannesburg, that SANGONeT was partly tasked with a duty of assisting Non Governmental Organisations NGO’s in developing ICT systems.

Many NGO’s got assistance through the donation of software and hardware at a very low administration fee, but the private sector needed to be pressured in such a manner that corporate social investment was not done in an ad hoc manner, said de Gale.

Lee Martin, from the South African Communication Forum told delegates that a co-operative method of ICT procurement by NGO’s was probably one of the best methods of procurement.

Martin said that in a co-operative people came together and it was when people were in need that they decided to stand together as a group and look after their interests.

Martin lamented that NGO’s needed to take into congisance of the fact that co-operatives enabled collective buying that had bulk discount benefits.
Co-operatives were “part of the solution as they provided affordable access to ICT tools and equipment”.

Martin warned that lack of maths and science amongst pupils would undermine the development of the ICT sector. He said awareness on what the ICT industry is about and the benefits of using ICT products needed to be created.

Nancy Ncube, Director of Partnerships at NEPAD e-Africa Commission said, if people came together during the hard and testing times of South Africa, there was no reason why they could not come together and procure ICT systems.

There seemed to be a broad consensus that co-operative buying was much more rational than shopping alone in some Incredulous Conmachine shop.

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