NSTF and SET community are already attuned to President’s aspirations
THERE were a number of indications in President Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address to indicate that research, technological innovation and R&D are of critical importance to South Africa.
Jansie Niehaus, NSTF Executive Director, comments as follows:
These have always been essential to a country’s development and its global competitiveness. The NSTF Awards demonstrate every year that South Africa has world class talent, capabilities and achievements. This country should leverage this wealth of capacity better, and appreciate its scientists, engineers and innovators as essential resources in the 21st century.
Speaking of the need for a new social compact, the president indicated that partnerships between government, business, labour, communities and civil society are essential to achieve the national goals. We agree, it is an approach that has borne fruit wherever it has been applied seriously. All stakeholders should ‘buy into’ the process and play their roles to ensure success.
At NSTF discussion forums the need for collaboration among various sectors has been raised repeatedly in different contexts. The NSTF itself is a stakeholder forum that brings these sectors together from the point of view of scientific research, technological innovation and the policy environment.
President Ramaphosa wants a high-tech economy where, for example, advances in e-health, robotics and remote medicine are applied to improve health care. Although hightech is not the only way to improve people’s lives, there are newly available technologies that can make a difference. New health care technologies are examples of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies that are developing rapidly in the global context. They are becoming increasingly available for application in the solution of complex problems, as reflected by some of our award winners, current and past. A case in point is Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, now the vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, who received the NSTF Award in the Researcher category in 2007. Prof Marwala is arguably the top expert in our country on the 4IR and its technologies.
Addressing the urgent need to grow the economy, Ramaphosa outlined various government priorities, including the mining sector, and developing markets for South African minerals. One of the ways in which this will be done is ‘increased research and development. In keeping with his call for South Africans to prepare for the 4IR and embrace its opportunities, he highlighted the need for skills in new technologies as well as empowering the youth to participate in the economy and take advantage of such opportunities.
The 4IR context entails a rapidly changing job market to which South Africa has to adapt. The foundation for the required skills has to be laid during primary school, including subjects like coding and data analytics. An enabling environment has to be created to allow and stimulate innovation. The president also recognises the increasingly significant role of young people in generating innovative ideas and businesses.