STAATSKOERANT, 31 Mei 2024 No. 50741   157 18. KEY STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENTS A diverse range of stakeholders was engaged to ensure that this policy reflects the perspectives and needs of different groups and to build broad-based support for its implementation. Amongst others, the stakeholders consulted in the development of this policy include government departments, industry experts, private sector representatives, and other stakeholders who may be affected by or have a vested interest in the policy. The policy was finalised with engagement and input in from the following stakeholders: 18.1 Government Departments 18.2 Organs of the State responsible for security 18.3 Relevant national regulators 18.4 State Information Technology Agency (SITA) 18.5 Government Information Technology Officers Council (GITOC) 18.6 Industry organisations 19. CONCLUSION The Data and Cloud Policy is a crucial lever to enable a digitally transformed South Africa, fostering a robust Digital Economy where all citizens have equitable opportunities to participate. This policy emphasizes key enablers such as affordable access to broadband services and digital devices, access to non-sensitive data, skills and capacity development, and research and development. It also reinforces governance requirements, including data privacy and security, consumer protection, cross-border transfers compliance, competition, and governance and institutional mechanisms. This policy seeks to align with the African Union’s goal of harmonizing data-related policies to enable safe and secure digital economic collaborations across the African continent and with other identified partners outside the continent. It recognizes that South Africa is part of the connected global community and cannot pursue its socio-economic goals in isolation. Moreover, the policy is vital for improving the capacity and organization of the State to deliver services to all citizens by making government services accessible online. This ensures that old, indigent and persons with disability can access government services regardless of their location, whether rural, township, or urban. It also promotes access to non-sensitive processed government data, enabling innovation in digitally tradable goods and services. The 35 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za