Western Cape
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Western Cape put data management on a new modern footing to build data capacity, enable intelligent use of data, improve service delivery and thereby make life easier for people.
The Western Cape Government (WCG) has invested in data governance as an initiative to build data capabilities and consolidate efforts to make smart use of data across this government and improve service delivery, with the goal of achieving better lives for the people of this region.
Our province-wide data governance investment encompasses the overall management of the availability, usability, integrity, and security of data assets within the WCG. This initiative is documented in a master plan as a recipe for smart governance and smart service delivery for economy, safety, mobility and environment.
This investment is a response to the realization that there is a renewed urgency for improved and smarter use of data at global, regional, national, provincial and local levels. Challenges included an increased demand; better data management of data as a public good as well as the need for comparable data at national, regional and international levels.
This investment is about the Centre of Government finding innovative ways to leverage data as a strategic asset so that it is integral to decision-making. This investment is also about transforming the government to find an integrated way to reduce duplication and inefficiencies in data and digital efforts. At government-wide level, it is geared towards “coherence in data use and production across departments.”
The key objective for province-wide data governance is for this regional government to be a data-driven organisation. This means:
- To drive business performance through better evidence and decisions; consequently, improving the use and application of data and digital solutions, bringing together policy, data and technology to enable a smarter evidence decision-making chain.
- To improve the use and production of quality data and data analytics for citizen-centric insights and decisions to change societal outcomes and service delivery.
Contact:
Harry Malila, Director General, Western Cape Government
harry.malila@westerncape.gov.za