Hold on to your dreams

INNOVATION is the fuel of long term economic progress.

Those societies that harness new ideas to do what was seemingly impossible tend to dominate.

It takes courage to do what has never been done, to tread a path that hasn’t been trodden. Most people associate the design and manufacture of cars with Europeans, Americans and Asians.

Africa is yet to produce a line of car models that it sells to the rest of the globe.

And yet the continent is the biggest market for best selling brands like BMW.

Moses Ngobeni of Giyani must be lauded for daring to dream. But more than that for daring to make his dream a reality. Using the materials at his disposal he designed and built his own sports car and is now the envy of many.

He did not wait to first make a lot of money so that he could one day purchase an already existing and soughtafter sports car.

But Ngobeni ’ s feat holds a number of lessons.

First, it is important to dream big. Only big dreams lead to big things.

We must especially encourage in young people the attitude of aiming for the impossible, of thinking about how they could drastically change their lives.

Ngobeni was seven when he resolved to build his own car and 19 when he designed it.

Second, innovation requires patience, commitment and persistence. Ngobeni is now 41; it is 22 years since he put pen to paper to design his dream car and it took him three years to complete the project once he started.

His is not the first innovation to take time. We would not today have the light bulb or aeroplanes for example if the thinkers behind them lacked resilience.

Third, innovation requires investment.

Not only a financial investment but an investment of other resources, including time to research and master disciplines.

You cannot build a car unless you understand mechanics, physics, electronics, concepts in design and so forth. Dreaming must be accompanied by a thirst for knowledge, study and effort.

Fourth, testing is an important part of innovation. It is important for the innovator to satisfy himself that his creation works before presenting it to the public.

Ngobeni should stand as an inspiration to many a young person in South Africa and on the African continent as a whole.

Advance nations are distinguished by their large investment into research and development. This keeps them at the forefront of innovation and registration of patents.

It is only by embracing and investing in dreamers like Ngobeni that the developing world can hope to compete with the rest of the world.