The degrees and experience needed to run a state ICT firm in South Africa

The educational requirements to be appointed CEO of a state-owned ICT company in South Africa range from a bachelor’s degree to a Master’s in Business Administration.

Candidates looking to apply must also often have ten to fifteen years of experience in their relevant fields.

This is according to the country’s Communications and Digital Technologies Minister, Solly Malatsi, in response to a written Parliamentary question.

The ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) has the least intensive education requirements, mandating a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in IT or a master’s in business administration (MBA).

For a company like Sentech, the state-owned signal distributor, applicants need a bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or an equivalent ICT field.

As with many other companies, a Master’s degree in science or business administration (MBA) gives the applicant an advantage.

Like Sentech, Broadband Infraco candidates also require a bachelor’s in engineering or an ICT-relevant field. However, also requires a master’s in science or an MBA.

The Film and Publications Board (FPB) requires that candidates hold a minimum of an NQF level 8 certification, such as an honours degree or postgraduate diploma.

Applying to be the CEO of the State IT Agency (Sita) requires an NQF level 9 certification in the form of a Master’s in business management in an IT-related field.

The Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (Icasa), the SABC, and the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (Nemisa) also mandate a master’s degree.

Regarding the experience required, most companies require that candidates have 10 to 15 years of relevant experience.

For instance, Broadband Infraco requires at least 10 years’ experience in telecommunications or related services, with five of those years spent managing people.

Postbank has similar requirements, mandating a minimum of 10 years in banking, with five years in strategic executive management.

The SABC and ZADNA also require 10 years of experience in their relevant fields. Alternatively, ZADNA applications can have a minimum of 8 years of working experience at an executive level.

The rest of the entities ideally look for candidates with between 10 and 15 years of relevant experience, with at least five years in senior or executive roles.

Sentech requires the most experience as applicants need at least 15 years of experience in the ICT sector or signal broadcasting and 8 years of experience serving in a C-suite role.

Similarly, Sita mandates that candidates must have a minimum of 12 to 15 years in an ICT-related field and prior experience serving at the C-suite level.