The policy has several key objectives:
Enhance Government Service Delivery and Socio-Economic Development: The policy seeks to promote data-driven decision-making and the creation of data-based tradable goods and services, thereby supporting the emerging digital economy.
Accelerate Digital Infrastructure Rollout: It prioritizes the development of fast, secure, and reliable broadband connectivity to ensure widespread access to digital services.
Ensure Data Privacy and Security: The policy emphasizes protecting personal and sensitive data from cyber threats, aligning with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and other relevant laws.
Promote Open Data and Interoperability: It encourages the use of open data frameworks and standards to facilitate data sharing and interoperability among different systems and sectors.
Adopt a Cloud-First Approach: The policy advocates for prioritizing cloud services for new IT projects to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
Support Capacity Building and Skills Development: It focuses on developing the necessary skills and capacity to adopt cloud technologies and data management practices, thus fostering a digitally skilled workforce.
Facilitate Cross-Border Data Transfers and Data Sovereignty: The policy addresses the complexities of cross-border data flows while ensuring the protection of national data sovereignty.
Encourage Research and Development (R&D): It promotes R&D activities in the fields of data and cloud technologies to drive innovation and maintain competitiveness.
Foster Competition in the Data and Cloud Market: The policy aims to ensure a competitive environment in the data and cloud services market, encouraging innovation and fair pricing.
Establish Governance and Institutional Mechanisms: It sets out to create robust governance frameworks and institutional mechanisms to oversee the management and regulation of data and cloud services.