Speaker
Description
As data continues to evolve in scale, complexity, and influence, it challenges the very foundations of traditional management. This session explores the futuristic perspective of data—not just as an asset to be managed, but as a dynamic force reshaping how institutions operate, make decisions, and deliver public value.
We begin by interrogating the limits of conventional data management, which was designed for linear, siloed, and static information systems. In contrast, the future calls for systems that are intelligent, adaptive, interoperable, and built for real-time insights. Data is no longer simply stored—it is mobilized, streamed, shared, and embedded in automated decision loops.
The presentation introduces new management perspectives necessary for this transformation:
From control to stewardship,
From information systems to data ecosystems,
From reactive planning to predictive, value-driven leadership.
Drawing from global benchmarks and the local experience of the GIZ Digital Transformation Centre South Africa (GIZ-DTCSA), we illustrate how South Africa is operationalising this shift—through climate-aligned digital infrastructure, data use cases, and policy-aligned governance models. Anchored in national strategies such as the Climate Change Act, the Data and Cloud Policy, and the Digital Transformation Roadmap, this work offers a real-world lens into building inclusive, future-ready data management environments.
Participants will leave with a renewed understanding of what it takes to govern data for transformation—not only managing it better, but enabling it to drive resilience, innovation, and trust in the institutions of tomorrow.
