 Thank you, let's be seated please. Program Director, Minister Namvula Paula Moponyani, the Acting Premier of our province of Quasulunatal, MEC Saitle Zigalala, the Secretary-General of the ITU, Mr. Holen Jau, the Minister Siabonga Tule, who is your host, Ministers and Deputy Ministers from South Africa, various African countries and indeed the rest of the world who have graced us here with their presence, for which we thank them. The AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, members of the Diplomatic Corps, distinguished delegates, business leaders and owners of small and medium enterprises, esteemed guests and ladies and gentlemen. It is for me a great privilege to have been invited to this August's gathering of people who are involved in the most important sector of various economies around the world, the telecom sector. I also feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to walk around to the various stands that I had time to visit to feed my youthful curiosity and excitement at seeing some of the gadgets and developments and innovations that are present here. This is a time when I wish I did not have handlers who would want me just to spend two or three minutes at a stand and start pushing me away. This is a time when I wish I could have stayed here much longer because if I was not delivered with this job, I would be there with you playing with the various toys that you all have the pleasure of playing with. So you are much luckier than I am and I envy you enormously. It is an honour as the government and the people of South Africa to host this event for the first time on the African continent. And I can say without any equivocation or doubt that we as Africans collectively feel really proud and honoured that the International Telecommunications Union, which is the oldest in the UN family, has chosen to come to Africa and particularly to come to South Africa and the province of KwaZulu Natal to hold this event. For us the ITU Telecom World provides a guide and in some ways a campus to the future. It gives us a campus to be able to navigate this new, bright and brave world that many countries are traversing as they begin to understand and get to grips with the meaning of the new technological changes that all of you are charting, creating, and taking the world forward with. The deliberations that will take place here concern the economy and society of tomorrow that we are building today. So as you sit here and you deliberate on issues, do bear in mind that what you are talking about in the end does have a bearing on the future of our economies as well as the well-being of society and humanity. We are at the dawn of a digital revolution that will reshape the way we work, the way we live, and indeed the way we relate to each other. I often try to find a way of understanding new things that explode in our countries or in the world, new things that affect and seek to improve the lives of people, and in trying to understand them I always try to find out where do they come from, where do they originate from. And John Reader who wrote a book called Africa, A Biography of a Continent always helps me to understand some of the origins of what is happening around us. He writes in his book about the origins of humanity, but I relate it to some of the things that are happening around us. He writes about 100,000 years ago. He says, groups of modern humans left Africa for the first time, and they progressively as they moved colonized the rest of the world. He continues, the innovative talent they had developed in Africa carried them into every exploitable niche of the world, close codes. We all agree that it is the innovative talent that has been developed that is driving technological change that we are all seeing today. We can all testify that technological change is proceeding at a pace far greater than anything humanity has ever experienced before. Just like the innovative talent that John Reader speaks about that had been developed on the African continent that enabled those who left this continent 100,000 years ago to go to every exploitable niche of the world armed with this innovative talent, talent that enabled them to utilize the technology of those days, that enabled them to utilize the knowledge that they had derived from this continent. They were able to improve their lives. They were able to harness various technologies and use them to get ahead. Forums like this enable not only us to anticipate technological change but also to understand its origin so that we can harness it for the advancement of humanity. This we can do because our forebears used the innovative talent that they had developed on this continent to advance humanity. It is through bodies like the International Telecommunications Union that a digital agenda for inclusivity, sustainability, and development can be crafted. We have the means and the responsibility to direct the evolution of information and communications technology towards the achievement of a better life for all the peoples of the world. It is our task to ensure that the Fourth Industrial Revolution improves the human condition and that as it improves the human condition it must do it on an inclusive basis so that no one is left behind. It is also our task to ensure that this digital revolution does respond to the needs of the developing world and its economies. This is where I like the slogan that I saw printed on one of the billboards outside here which says anything is possible when everyone is connected. It must enhance the growth of economies and contribute in overcoming some of the challenges that the world faces today which is unemployment, inequality, and poverty as well. It must also bridge the digital divide and not widen it so that as we develop technologies we must bear in mind that these technologies must not be the preserve of the elite or elite areas but there must be technologies that are going to be utilized by all. It must employ the latest in communications technology and data analytics to solve some of the world's greatest development challenges. The decisions that we make now as individual countries and as a global collective will determine whether the Fourth Industrial Revolution is the opportunity that so many people anticipate to be a moment, to be a conjuncture that is really going to change their lives or a threat that so many people currently fear. As our economies become increasingly dependent on information and communication technology, it is critical that governments work more closely with industry to maximize the value of digital innovations and it is pleasing that today at this forum or conference there are a number of government representatives in the form of ministers and they are key officials. There are also a number of regulators from a number of countries and that there are also a number of business people big and small and I'm sure that there are quite a number of people from community-based organizations as well who are here and I am yet to see whether labor is also represented here. It is equally critical that both governments and industry develop effective collaborative relationships with the communities they are both expected to serve. It is such relationships that are required, for example, for the accelerated rollout of broadband in areas such as rural areas and low-cost housing locations that are generally seen as not being economically viable and yet the presence of broadband in such areas is vital for the viability of the economy and I'm sure that in the stands here there are many others who probably were demonstrating one of the capabilities that I saw one of the sponsors here MTN demonstrating. They were showcasing a capability that will enable the rollout of broadband or telecommunications capability in rural areas that is powered by solar energy. I found that most impressive and I'm sure that many others here are doing the same. The rapid expansion of broadband reach and accessibility is a priority in our own country, but it is also a priority for a number of countries on the African continent and indeed in many other developing countries as well because that is the real key as a determinant of economic inclusion and growth. There are currently 20 million South Africans who do not use the internet for a range of reasons such as unaffordability, lack of internet-enabled devices, and lack of access. Now this is a challenge that has to be solved. At the same time, there are about 87 percent of households in South Africa who have access to mobile phones and this represents or this presents us with a great opportunity to overcome digital exclusion and to drive inclusive growth and innovation. Government has recently decided to accelerate the licensing of radio frequency spectrum in the 2.6 gigahertz, the 700 megahertz, and the 800 megahertz bands to hasten the growth of mobile communications. Well, I thought that would elicit much better applause than what you are giving now. We have finalized consultations with the telecommunications sector and these were deep and thoroughgoing consultations as well as other stakeholders to ensure allocation of spectrum that will reduce barriers to entry, promote competition, and reduce costs to consumers. I can say if there has ever been a thorough consultation process that Minister Tule and the Deputy Minister undertook, this is the one area and of course the DG and many other officials. This is the one area where the painstakingly ensured that there would be consultation and this is the way we do things in South Africa. As we flight or we put across a piece of legislation, we have made it our task and in some ways it is part of our DNA that we will consult with role players and stakeholders and give them the opportunity to make inputs, to make improvements, and where we disagree. We will set out the reasons why we disagree, but government is determined that in improving this sector and injecting more life and growth in this sector, we will continue with our consultation process and I want to make it clear to all role players that the door of our government is forever opened for discussions, for collaboration, and consultations, so you are always invited to come talk to us and together we want to grow this sector, we want you to make your views known so that together we can see a growing sector that will include all the key role players. Following cabinet decision last month, our regulator, Ikasa, is now preparing to license available high demand spectrum. In addition, we have begun work in preparation for the 5G spectrum licensing as part of our efforts to build a smarter digital economy. Now, I had a taste of this 5G and I can tell you that it is most, most forward-looking, fantastic. I however tried to score a goal in the goal post but I was not able to. So all I ask for, please enable me to score a goal in spite of the 5G. So we say forward with 5G because we are going to spread 5G and thank you to our partners that you are going to take up this capability and spread it amongst our people to make their lives a lot better. Earlier this year we announced plans to establish a digital industrial revolution commission to ensure we are in a position to seize the opportunities of the rapid advances in information and communication technology. And I would like, and this is to the minister, I would like this to be done sooner rather than later and in fact it should be done in the next few days. We are informed by research that associates investment in ICTs with such economic benefits as high productivity, lower costs, new economic opportunities, job creation, innovation and increased trade. Information and communication technology also helps provide better services in health, in education and strength and social cohesion. This was also demonstrated by a number of small and medium enterprises, some of which which I was most impressed with was how young doctors have come up with a technology to enhance the health sector and I say great work to them because it demonstrates that the youth and indeed the sector like health is coming to the party and utilizing these capabilities. Our work in this area coincides with agreement on the establishment of the Africa continental free trade area which will create a single market of over a billion people. At the plenipotentiary of the African Telecommunications Union held last month in Nairobi, South Africa was mandated to lead a five-country community to coordinate the development of the continental response to the fourth industrial revolution. This is a task we undertake in support of the African Union's Agenda 2063 which seeks a continent with diverse and inclusive economies, advanced infrastructure and a skilled and capable population to be created. In promoting this vision we see a key role for technology. We however see the role of technology which is underpinned by a number of other enabling pillars and the first pillar that I see is that the technology that we are unfolding should ensure that women and women-led businesses play a critical role and one says this advisedly because women in many countries in the world are often left behind, they are often relegated to the back, they are often given menial roles and tasks and we are saying if technology has to have any meaning to the people of any country it must make sure that it places women in the forefront so that they can play a critical role in the technological advancement of any country and secondly we see the innovative participation of young people. The future belongs to the youth and the youth are full of ideas, they are innovative, they are creative and they must be given space to be able to exhibit their fearlessness when it comes to technological advancement and therefore as we embrace and develop technology let us make sure that young people become the key players as well. Thirdly the third one in order for these technological developments to really gain traction they must be driven by the small medium enterprise sector. Small businesses must be at the heart of these technologies so for me those are the three pillars that should really drive technological advancement. The big companies will always look after themselves, men will always look after themselves. We need to use the three pillars to enable technological advancement in every country in the world to gain traction and if we're talking about the fourth industrial revolution let us make sure that it is supported by these three pillars. If any one of these three pillars is not there the fourth industrial revolution will definitely fail. It is precisely this the developmental role of technology as underpinned by these three pillars that South Africa's founding president Nelson Mandela affirmed when he addressed the Seventh World Telecommunications Conference and exhibition in Geneva in 1995. It was the first year that South Africa participated in the global event as a full member of the ITU. In his speech President Mandela said it was crucial or crucial rather for South Africa and the entire African continent to be part of the organization that would drive international policy technological development cooperation and skills transfer. Now in the year of the centenary of his birth and the birth of another icon in this in our country Albertina Sisulu one of the leading mothers of our nation let us be guided by the vision that Nelson Mandela had of a world in which everyone is connected not only by technology but also by a common humanity. Since rejoining the ITU South Africa has worked with other member countries to advocate for the transformation of the institution and the entire global communications landscape to promote equality and inclusivity. In the world summit of information society held in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005 we advocated for a people-centered and development-oriented information society where citizens' lives are enhanced by ICTs and member states are recognized on an equal footing. We continue to champion the internet as a tool for social and economic development. We support universal broadband and universal broadcasting to connect all citizens and ensure that they have access to information. Most recently we have advocated for the safety of the ICT infrastructure and secure use by all online. Important to Africa and developing countries is the need for countries to share manufacturing and localization opportunities to allow equal access and shared growth throughout the world. We say this so that some of these capabilities must not be the sole fiefdom of certain countries only. It must also be available to all other countries and we believe this is possible. We support equitable access to global ICT resources such as orbital slots, satellites and governance of the internet. Distinguished guests and ladies and gentlemen, we firmly believe that there is a strong correlation between innovation and growth. One of the key interventions our economy needs to foster growth is investment from our local investors as well as investors from other countries. Our country recently embarked on an investment drive to attract $100 billion in new investment in our country over the next five years, a portion coming from our own country and another portion coming from other countries. This is part of a broader effort to set the economy on a new growth path, on a new employment path and a new transformation path. We will be holding an investment conference on the 25th to the 27th of October where we will showcase the country's lucrative investment offerings. We are determined that the ICT sector be an integral part of this investment drive with a focus on infrastructure investment, e-commerce, local manufacturing of equipment and innovation. South Africa has demonstrated its capabilities in the development and the deployment of information and communications technology. A number of other African countries, our sister African countries, have also demonstrated the same and are continuing to show excellence in a number of areas. We expect that the investment conference will help to demonstrate our country's great potential for investment, but these investments should also be located in a number of other African countries because Africa as a continent is open for business and it is the best next thing that is about to happen to the whole world. In conclusion, we are certain that Telecom World 2018 will produce innovative solutions to societal challenges and establish a platform for greater inclusive growth. And I say this advisedly because participating here is the brain's trust of the telecoms world in the whole globe. And you are all gathered here from 91 or so countries as the best that your countries can give in the telecoms world. And we expect great suggestions, great innovations from yourselves, so