Talking about the evolving internet and e-Governance was Dean Garfield, President and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Washington, D.C., who delivered his lecture presentation at the DUT ML Sultan Campus, recently.

The event was hosted by Dr Lavern Samuels, Director: International Education and Partnerships, at DUT in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate in Durban.

Garfield is the President and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). Since taking on this role in 2008, Garfield has built ITI into a powerhouse of advocacy, insight and influence in Washington, D.C. and throughout the world. He leads a team of professionals who, combined, bring nearly three centuries of advocacy experience to bear on the most complex policy challenges facing the world’s leading technology companies.

Garfield was in South Africa on a mission to learn more about the country and to explore how ITI can help make the future of the Internet and South Africa a mutually reinforcing success story. “As president of the Information Technology Industry Council, representing 59 of the world’s leading global technology companies, I am fully aware of the importance our members’ place on South Africa. Companies such as Ericsson, Google and Intel, to name a few, have long had an active presence here. But South Africa is more than just an excellent business opportunity for the technology sector, it is literally an incubator for new ideas, visionary innovators and technology leaders, hosting world-class research centers and boasting the highest Internet penetration rate in the region,” he said.

Garfield also added that that the private and public sector leaders played an important role in working together to help make access to the Internet available and affordable, secure and inclusive.

He plans to work hand-in-hand with the country’s academics and network with the country on a more regular basis, sharing IT resources, establishing a partnership with South Africa and America in the advancing of sustainable technologies that will be at the heart of 21st century innovation.

– Waheeda Peters

Pictured: Dean Garfield, President and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Washington, D.C.