Delegates to a briefing session by ForgeAhead, held in Johannesburg recently, saw a heated debate erupt over the ICT sector job creation issue.

Adrian Schofield, head of research at ForgeAhead, insists there is little coordination with regard to job creation in the ICT sector. Basing his contentions on research ForgeAhead recently undertook to evaluate whether the objectives outlined by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 had been achieved, Schofield said it was obvious that little progress has been made since Nedlac hosted an ICT summit in 2002.

He says part of the challenge could be the lack of clarity about whose responsibility it was to implement objectives outlined in the agreement, even though the Department of Communications (DOC) had taken ownership of the process. Schofield has recommended that the ICT sector form an implementation body that would ensure the proper coordination of activities.