Lessons by Eldrid Jordaan: From building a government tech solution for an African government
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It's no secret that governments struggle with tech solutions that get adopted by the public. Often, the public finds it hard to use a technology solution developed by a government. This was not the case with GovChat, a government technology solution that was developed with a private entity that was led by Professor Eldrid Jordaan.
Last week, I had an opportunity to listen to Jordaan speak about his experience of building a technology solution for a government.
Three things stood out for me in a lecture delivered as part of Africa Month celebrations and hosted by African Innovation Solutions.
The first key point that stood out for me was the fact that in building successful technology solutions, it’s not always necessary to build your own app or standalone tech. Sometimes it makes sense to work with a technology that’s already adopted by the public. Jordaan explained the rationale behind using WhatsApp technology to create a solution.
He explained that due to data costs and other technology limitations, it was ideal to work with WhatsApp. Instead of requiring people to download another app in the sea of apps, using WhatsApp became an entry point that enabled everyone to have ease of access to GovChat.
Some in the South African government lacked this understanding. As a result, one department developed its own app, Khawuleza, which had poor downloads and lacked adoption by the public.
The second key point that stood out from the Jordaan lecture is that it’s important to understand the territory where the technology is deployed. Often, technology is dumped with an entity without any form of customisation for the local environment. When GovChat is analysed, this point is often missed.
Jordaan played a very crucial role in the implementation of the GovChat solution within government circles. Jordaan had a very good relationship with government leaders and, therefore, could take care of all elements that could take the technology further beyond just launching it. He also had a good understanding of local conditions as someone who grew up in South Africa.
It’s possible that without his involvement, it would have been impossible for the government to enable the public to apply for Covid-19 relief grants. GovChat was instrumental in enabling the public to apply for these services without having to wait in long queues.
This effort should go down as one of the most innovative interventions in enabling access to government services.
Sadly, however, Jordaan has to step down from his role as the CEO of GovChat after a legal challenge by WhatsApp's parent company (Meta, formerly known as Facebook). Meta claimed that GovChat had violated its policies in relation to the use of the WhatsApp platform. According to Jordaan, his partners at GovChat were also not supportive, and ultimately, he had to bow out of a company he founded.
It remains to be seen whether GovChat will prevail in the case against Meta. At the heart of the case is the government data issue.
Jordaan has now established another technology company, Suppple, which brings me to the third key point that stood out in his lecture.
The three - P’s - in Suppple stand for Public Private Partnership, an approach that was followed by Jordaan in developing a technology solution for the South African government. It means that there’s a co-creation process that’s undertaken. It involves working very closely with the government in developing a solution. Jordaan indicated that one of the few things that was key in his work involved understanding the policies of the governing party and how they are implemented in government.
All of these factors allowed him to develop a solution that is in line with policy objectives and, at the same, a solution that addresses a public need.
Jordaan will be applying the same model in assisting governments to better make use of cloud computing.
There’s a lot to learn from the creating of GovChat that will probably in a book by Jordaan. It is my hope that governments, founders and global tech companies will draw key lessons from the GovChat story.
It’s my hope that governments will better manage data matters in tech projects going forward. It’s also my hope that multinational companies like Meta have learnt something about developing better working relationships that lead to innovations.
There’s no doubt, in my mind, that GovChat was a great innovation for the government. There was just a need to workout a way to resolve the differences in a way that enables innovation to proceed while safeguarding the data of citizens.
Lastly, I do hope founders of technology companies draw key entrepreneurial lessons from the Jordaan approach to developing innovative solutions for governments. The world needs more innovators who can craft technology solutions for challenges within governments.
Wesley Diphoko is a technology analyst and Editor-In-Chief of FastCompany (SA) magazine.
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