Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, University of Johannesburg chancellor, former United Nations under-secretary-general and UN Women executive director, says innovation is required to address social issues such as gender-based violence and food security.
Mlambo-Ngcuka was speaking at the 5th BIO Africa Convention, which recently took place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
Her comments come as the combination of science, technology and innovation (STI) has, in recent times, been highlighted as a possible solution to some of SA’s socio-economic challenges.
Furthermore, government entities like the State IT Agency have introduced hackathons that showcase how innovation and technology can be utilised to overcome public service challenges.
Speaking at the convention, Mlambo-Ngcuka explained that innovation led to disruption, adding that positive disruption should be welcomed as it allowed for products and services to be scaled up, which in turn lowered entry barriers for entrepreneurs.
Therefore, for everyone to solve the anticipated challenges, “significant” innovation is required.
"When we consider the impact of climate change on our communities, there is a lot that needs to change,” noted Mlambo-Ngcuka. “Furthermore, when we think about food security and the changes that must be made in the way we manage agriculture, we must revisit innovation.”
Hosted by AfricaBio, in association with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and its entity the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), this year’s BIO Africa Convention was held under the theme: “Africa resilient: Life sciences innovation for achieving health and food security”.
DSI minister Dr Blade Nzimande expressed that this year's convention was ideal to inspire Africa's policy-makers, scientists and social actors to steer the continent to become a self-reliant, knowledge-generating and innovating region, instead of merely a knowledge-consuming one.
Nzimande said: “As a country, the objectives of this convention aligns perfectly with our 2019 white paper on science, technology and innovation, and our Science, Technology and Innovation Decadal Plan 2021-2031, the key objectives of which include accelerating the implementation of the Pan-African STI agenda and focusing on inclusivity, transformation, support for small, medium and micro-enterprises and job creation.”
Echoing the minister's sentiments, TIA board member Anati Canca pointed out SA has long recognised the potential and value of technological innovation in economic and social development.
She revealed TIA has created a strategic plan to increase the commercialisation of innovations from science councils, small and medium enterprises, and higher education institutions.
In addition, the entity plans to increase entrepreneurs' and innovators' access to technology infrastructure services that provide them with much-needed assistance, all with the goal of ramping up its efforts to implement the bio-economy strategy.
“As we discuss how the resilience of this continent can be enhanced to achieve health and food security through life science innovation, it may be useful to consider the role of TIA in supporting and implementing the national bio-economy strategy,” states Canca.
Welcomed progress
Meanwhile, Parliament’s select committee on education, technology, arts and culture has welcomed the DSI’s new decadal plan for STI, urging the department to brief it frequently on future developments.
The Cabinet-approveddecadal plan covers the period 2021-2031 and is the implementation plan of SA’s new white paper on STI.
The roadmap identifies the fourth industrial revolution as a key focus, placing STI at the centre of the country's development agenda. Furthermore, it replaces the 1996 white paper on science and technology, and aligns with the objectives of government's NDP.
In a statement, committee chairperson Elleck Nchabeleng highlights that the plan addresses the department’s efforts to position all government departments to adopt innovation and technological advancement.
“The committee is pleasantly excited by the work that seems to have been put into the plan. We need to move to adopt and implement,” Nchabeleng emphasises. “This is particularly important if one looks at the possible disruptions that technology is likely to bring to industries.
“The truth is climate change and technology innovation will radically change the future of industries. When that happens, we need to ensure the impact does not reduce working South Africans into redundancy.”