Building South Africa’s global competitiveness will be a key focus at the upcoming 4th Annual Future of Work National Dialogue, to be hosted by the Tshwane University of Technology’s Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) in Pretoria next month.
Tseliso Mohlomi, Senior Director of TUT’s IFOW, says South Africa’s competitiveness has become a burning issue in light of geopolitical developments such as new trade tariffs and free trade areas. “At last year’s National Dialogue, our competitiveness and the need for collaboration to enhance it were raised during talks. However, global developments have now made these issues a top priority. Therefore, much of our agenda for this year’s National Dialogue will focus on these topics,” he says.
Mohlomi says: “Questions have been raised around whether we can survive the impact of new US tariffs, and South Africa’s global competitiveness in general – particularly in the field of technological innovation. While we have traditionally focused on raw materials and agricultural exports, we need to wean ourselves off dependencies such as technology imports and build capacity to develop our own innovative technologies.”
He notes: “Prior to COVID-19, there was a call for a social compact against unemployment and poverty. This comprehensive social compact aimed to join all social partners in a common programme to rebuild the South African economy and enable higher growth. Now more than ever before, we need a social compact bringing together stakeholders to boost South Africa’s global competitiveness. We need more collaboration between industry and academia in research and development; between the state, industry and academia to commercialise innovations; and a greater focus on policies that are favourable for innovation and progress.”
Presentations at the National Dialogue will focus on South Africa’s competitiveness challenges and opportunities, with a keynote by Dr Alejandro Lavopa, Research and Industrial Policy Officer at UNIDO, covering industrialisation, innovation and competitiveness: aligning Africa’s STI policies for global competitiveness; and Dr Stavros Nicolaou, Group Senior Executive at Aspen Pharmacare, examining industrial and STI policy alignment: what business needs to compete globally. ICASA Chairperson Mothibi Ramusi will speak on bridging the divide: regulatory pathways to skills and universal technology access.
The impact of AI will also be a key topic: Dr Mmaki Jantjies, Group Executive: Innovation and Transformation at Telkom SA, will deliver a keynote on artificial intelligence and Africa’s future: problems, promises and pathways to global competitiveness; and Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem, Head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pretoria and lead of the AI ethics group at the South African Centre for AI Research (CAIR), will speak on principles to practice: building ethical and responsible AI governance.
Mohlomi says the National Dialogue is an increasingly important platform for stakeholders from the government, industry and academia to engage on topical issues and pave the way for collaboration across sectors. “Past events have been constructive for participants, and we expect this trend to continue,” he says.
The event is becoming an increasingly high-profile discourse, with over 900 people applying for the 400 seats available. Next year, there are plans to double the size of the event to accommodate more attendees.
The 4th Annual Future of Work National Dialogue will be staged on 1-2 October at The Maslow in Pretoria. To register your interest in attending this event, go to:
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