Ready to make the most of the budget, Tito?

Dear Tito,

There’s a lot riding on you this Wednesday.

Many people are calling it the most important budget in 20 years.

President  Cyril Ramaphosa gave us an impressive roadmap for the future in his state of the nation address, but it’s up to you to make it happen.

It’s going to take some truly creative thinking to meet the targeted R150 billion in savings, while getting our state-owned enterprises in good shape, reducing our staggering unemployment numbers, and keeping the lights on.

Success means finding ways to do more with less, making sure that every rand spent on a rescue or project is used effectively.

Empowering Eskom

For most South Africans, the biggest question will be how the budget intends to address our ongoing power problems.

The state of the nation address made it clear that, for the foreseeable future, South Africa will have to live with load shedding as we build the capacity we need to power the country.

While we might not be able to avoid power shortages entirely, there may be ways to mitigate the impact by using technology.

Google was able to reduce energy usage by 40% when it first started using artificial intelligence (AI) company Deepmind to manage its energy allocation.

If we can’t avoid load shedding completely, let’s make it smarter.

In projects like EWeLiNE, scientists use AI-based models to forecast energy demand in real time.

Combine that with intelligent energy systems that can control the supply of electricity to different locations, and you could respond to high demand as it happens.

Instead of pre-set schedules that plunge whole suburbs into darkness, imagine having enough control that you only need to switch off the lights for a few minutes at a time.

We might even get to a point where no one suffers blackouts at all.

Another solution is to use of smart energy management systems in high-consumption industries like mining and manufacturing.

Commercial smart energy providers like Grid Edge are becoming more common, and many governments are actively promoting the use of these among business.

In the UK, the national grid pays out companies that use these types of smart energy platforms like to reduce their energy consumption during peak times.

Yes, new energy projects are important, but  how are we maximising our current power generation as we wait for the next generation of power plants to come online?

Fixing the leaks in SOEs

One of your biggest challenges is going to be righting course on our struggling state-owned enterprises.

There’s no sugar-coating it – SAA, Eskom, Prasa and others are sinking ships right now, leaking money at a rapid pace.

Before pumping more money into them, we’re going to need to patch the holes.

It’s no secret that good governance and accountability are two of the biggest success factors when it comes to SOEs.

Malaysia’s state-owned energy company Petronas was able to generate more than $1 billion in savings and new revenues in just five years, thanks to major investments in improving operational excellence.

If new leaders can put SOEs back on the road to self-sufficiency and profitability, they’ll need tools that help them drive operational efficiency and stop the wastage of resources and revenue.

In organisations the size of SAA and Eskom, where mismanagement and corruption can easily go under the radar, the most effective solution is to embrace next-gen analytics and a culture of data transparency.

Digital tools can be used to sniff out everything from dodgy contracts to financial irregularities, making it a lot easier to root out the corruption and graft that have been eating away at our SOEs from within.

Using data to drive business

It’s not just SOEs that can thrive under a culture of open data. Countries that have embraced open data policies are seeing big returns when it comes to business growth.

Medellín, the infamous former base of Pablo Escobar, has transformed into a major business and technology hub, thanks to its focus on open data platforms.

The UK’s data.gov.uk is another great example, giving users easy access to datasets on everything from corporate taxes to property prices so they can understand their customers and business environments better.

Open data isn’t just about giving access to information, but also about using data to connect people to each other - investors to businesses, jobseekers to companies, suppliers with procurement, and so on.

The success of projects like Bizportal, Youth Employment Service and VC4A show the importance of well-designed digital platforms that allow the right people to find each.

These are just a few examples of how smarter data and digital technologies can be used to improve outcomes in both the public and private sector.

By investing in digital solutions that drive our efficiency and improve our visibility, we can make our budget go further than ever before.

Time to make every rand count. How well do you know what your rands are up to, Tito?

• Lee Naik is TransUnion Africa's chief executive

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City Press is an agenda-setting South African news brand that publishes across platforms. Its flagship print edition is distributed on a Sunday.