Outcomes of the 2005 workshop will now be put into action, again in collaboration with I-Network and IICD. The activities, which are to take place in the period until August 2007 include:

Developing and documenting a roadmap for the implementation of the Roundtable workshop follow up action plan
The issue that resulted in the Roundtable workshop process was the observation that the role of ICT is not clearly and specifically articulated in the PEAP document, thus leading to inadequate provision for ICT in the implementation and revision of the PEAP. The observation was made during the first meeting of the Inter-Agency eGovernance / ICT National Planning Team (Inter-Agency Team). As part of the Roundtable process investigations were carried out to establish why, in spite of the well recognise important role of ICT in the development process, ICT was not thus reflected in the PEAP processes. These processes refer to the PEAP planning, revision and monitoring processes, and the national budgeting cycle. With reference to the “NPA – Roundtable workshop Reference paper”, the investigation not only detailed the processes involved, but also exposed the weaknesses that led to this situation (where ICT is not reflected in the PEAP processes).

The main objective of this activity therefore is to address the apparent weaknesses to ensure that the role of ICT is well articulated in the PEAP processes, including its revision and implementation and all influencing factors, especially with respect to the budgetary process. The main output will be a “Roadmap for the follow up implementation plan developed and documented”

Producing a corrigendum for the integration of ICT into PEAP 2004/5 - 2007/8 Pillars
The role of ICT is not clearly and specifically articulated in the current version of the PEAP, which could be hindering the development and use of ICT in national development. The Inter-Agency Team therefore decided that the best way to address the problem in the short term is to produce a corrigendum to the PEAP, which more correctly reflects the role of ICT in the development plans.  Through a selected Task Force of the Inter-Agency Team, draft corrigendum text was produced for each of the five pillars of the PEAP.

The main objective of this activity is to improve on the draft corrigendum text through desk research. The research will lead to better correlation between the corrigendum and sector priorities as derived from the PEAP, and will present what is possible with ICT. I-Network will conduct the research and produce a new draft to be used in activities to follow.

Disseminating and sharing of the corrigendum with Government Ministries, Agencies, and other key stakeholders
This activity takes the development of the corrigendum several steps further by going through steps and processes similar to what would have been done during the previous PEAP processes in relation to ICT – wider stakeholder consultations and providing the relevant inputs such as justifications and appropriate indicators – using the committees and processes identified in activity (A) above as much as will be practical. This activity will help in getting the corrigendum legally and otherwise accepted and adopted for implementation in the same way as other elements of the PEAP. The documented Road Map for implementation will also be shared with the various stakeholders as part of this and subsequent activities.

Developing and testing an awareness campaign strategy focusing on integrating ICT in sector and District plans
The corrigendum will clearly reflect the role of ICT in the main development framework, the PEAP. However, it has also been established that many officials responsible for developing plans in Government Agencies, Sectors and Districts are not adequately aware of many aspects regarding the benefits of ICT application, resulting into according ICT minimal attention during plan formulation and implementation. The aim of this activity therefore is to design an awareness campaign strategy and content, tailor-made for the different target groups involved in planning for national development. The awareness strategy will be tested on a few target groups under this follow up plan, and NPA will adopt and integrate it into its overall awareness campaign for the National Development Framework and Systems.

More about:
The National Planning Authority (NPA)
The Roundtable Workshop
The knowledge sharing network I-Network