As we countdown to the 2024 Public Economics Conference, we have pulled together a selection of short case studies from organisations presenting at the PEC.
These case studies – which include education initiatives, health projects, sustainable development project – show how digital transformation and digital inclusion can result in real digital dividends and can have major positive impacts for people in South Africa.
#digitalinclusion
Keletso Maila grew up in Burgersfort, a small mining town on the border of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, with her mother and five siblings. She attended Kweledi Secondary School, a public high school with more than 1 000 learners, and sometimes not enough classrooms for everyone. Keletso was noticed by the Siyavula Foundation in 2021 when she scored 100% on their Mathematics platform. In order to score 100% a learner had to go through the entire curriculum and master every section and chapter.
She started her Siyavula journey in 2020, when the Covid-19 lockdown interrupted learning so suddenly and dramatically. She says “We didn’t get taught enough in class, so I used Siyavula every day to catch up and work through all the chapters. I liked that it let me work at my own pace. Also, my Mom couldn’t afford to buy me study guides and Siyavula helped to close that gap.” The hard work and close family support paid off, and Keletso achieved straight distinctions in her final 2022 matric exams, attaining 83% for Mathematics and 91% for Physical Sciences. She also applied for various bursaries and scholarships via the Siyavula’s My Future page, and she received a full scholarship to study Actuarial Science at Wits. We will hear more about the Foundation on Thursday, 5 September 2024.
#digitaldividents
We will also hear from Phemelo Mahamuza, who will discuss how the Gauteng City-Region Observatory uses Google Earth Pro imagery to analyse population density, informal residential areas, and registered townships in Gauteng. This analysis helps ensure that new government spending in Gauteng’s health sector is well-planned and closely monitored. The imagery is used to make sure that new healthcare facilities are built in high-need areas, aligning with the Township, Informal Settlements, and Hostels Program (TISH) mandate. But it doesn’t stop at choosing the right locations. The imagery also continuously monitors the construction progress, assesses the status of the projects, and tracks the distribution of completed healthcare facilities in relation to the overall project expenditure. We’ll learn more about this on Thursday, 5 September 2024.
#digitaltransformation and #digialdividents
Hear about the power of Machine Learning to analyse qualitative data on Thursday 5 September at 8:30am! Professor Willem Fourie explains how SA is using machine learning (ML) tools to examine all publicly available policies and legislation related to sustainable development—covering environmental, social, and economic dimensions. These ML tools can sift through thousands of qualitative policy documents, identifying overlaps and inconsistencies. By highlighting areas of potential policy conflict, they provide valuable insights for policymakers, helping to ensure greater policy coherence and more efficient use of limited resources.
#digitalinclusion
Dr William Mapham always had a passion for improving rural healthcare, and, working in South Africa and Swaziland he experienced the pain of both having no access to specialist advice and the tragedy of patients suffering due to delays in treatment. His solution, Vula Mobile, connects health workers. Since launching in the public sector in 2014, 37,000 health workers have joined the network across South Africa, Zambia and Lesotho. 1,8 million patients have benefitted and a third no longer have to travel to tertiary hospitals to receive treatment. Vula is an example of a digital solution that improves healthcare outcomes as well as decreasing costs for the health system. The UNDP voted Vula in the top 4 innovations improving access to healthcare. A patient is helped every 40 seconds. Tune in at 10:30am on Thursday 5 September to learn more.
Registrations have now closed but you can still participate by joining the livestream of the conference on YouTube.