In a South African municipality, the Digital Ecosystem Steering Committee (DESC) [previously called ICT Steering Committee] plays a critical role in aligning digital initiatives with the municipality's business functional needs. This ensures a secure, efficient, and value-driven use of technology across all levels of the organisation.
The DESC is positioned as a cross-functional governance body. It facilitates the integration of business role-players, needs, data governance, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and application systems into a cohesive digital ecosystem.
It provides strategic oversight to ensure Smart City and digital transformation efforts support the municipality's Integrated Development Plan (IDP), drive service delivery improvements, and enable data-driven decision-making.
The DESC coordinates across various stakeholders, including the municipal manager, head of ICT, business solution owners, data custodians, and risk and audit representatives, to oversee the development and implementation of the Business Enabling Technology Plan.
It embeds cybersecurity into every layer of the ecosystem, from infrastructure and applications to data and strategic risk management, ensuring that controls are in place to protect municipal assets and support compliance.
In addition, the DESC advises executive leadership on innovation opportunities, monitors risk mitigation strategies, and ensures that ICT capacity, architecture, and performance are business appropriate.
Ultimately, the DESC institutionalizes governance principles and fosters a digitally enabled, citizen-centric, and resilient municipality.