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Innovation key to addressing youth employment – Pandor

Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor

Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor

9th June 2017

By: Anine Kilian

Contributing Editor Online

     

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Recent statistics on youth unemployment highlight the need for South Africa to devote attention to science, technology and innovation, said Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor at a briefing on Friday, adding that “business as usual” would not work.

The Quarterly Labour Force Survey, published by Statistics South Africa earlier this month, shows that South Africa’s youth constitutes most of the country’s newly unemployed.

About 58% of the 433 000 additional job seekers during the first quarter of the year were young people between the ages of 15 and 34.

This shows a 1.6% quarterly increase in youth unemployment, which brings the overall youth unemployment rate to 38.6%.

“There has never been a better time for South Africa’s youth to take advantage of the plethora of opportunities in the science, technology and innovation space,” noted Pandor at the Youth in Science, Technology and Innovation Indaba in Pretoria.

She added that developing innovative potential for the country’s youth was key.

“The recent decline in economic growth in the manufacturing and industrial sectors serve as an urgent call to action.”

Pandor further noted that the future of South Africa and the continent as a whole depended on increased support for, and development of new, innovative technology solutions.

She pointed out that grassroots innovation was important for sustainable and equitable development, but stressed that it was important to “ be realistic, as not everybody can be a grassroots innovator”.

“We want to develop opportunities and hone ideas. We want the youth to become skilled researchers and innovators and to produce global products that will rank us among the top in the world.”

Pandor highlighted, however, that grassroots innovation does not mean that the need for “knowledge workers” in South Africa should be neglected.

“We need more people to graduate with Masters and PhD qualifications, as well as more young researchers. It is imperative for more young people to study and pass maths and science subjects across the continent,” Pandor said.

She added that innovation could help lift the number of youth who pass maths and science in the country.

Meanwhile, Pandor noted that South Africa had a lot to be proud of in terms of science and innovation, noting that the country had made a disproportionate contribution in these fields globally.

“Considering that we are a small economy, we have made a significant contribution to innovation in the medical and military sectors. We are known for breakthrough innovations, such as the computerised tomography scanner,” she said, adding that South Africa was the first country in the world to successfully complete heart and penis transplants.

Pandor added that South Africa was also known for innovations in clean energy, food security and water resources.

“We have the best conditions for solar energy globally and are pioneers in that field,” she noted.

Pandor also pointed out that the Department of Science and Technology offered awareness programmes and played a critical role in national prosperity and development.

“We have established 34 new science centres in the past ten years, driven by community engagements and initiatives. The technological sector has also created a Top 100 Internship programme. Internships are important for youth employment, which is critical to building a stable society,” she said.

Pandor added that internships gave innovators and entrepreneurs the incentive to build startups of their own, highlighting that startups are the heartbeat of a developing economy.

“We are inspired by the success of new entrepreneurs and innovators who have taken advantage of the tourism mobile industries, the growing market in renewable energy and the evolving market in the cultural and creative industries,” she said.

Pandor cited that local innovators and entrepreneurs would ultimately create the millions of jobs the country needed to grow an inclusive economy.

She stressed that innovation and entrepreneurship took place not only at a national level, but also in cities and towns.

“At the national level we encourage local and regional innovation systems. We encourage a system that connects local government, big business, startup entrepreneurs, venture capital, research organisations,and grassroots innovators,” she said.

The Minister added that it was up to young people in the country to take new and old knowledge and to apply it not only in small-scale projects, but also in big technology projects that would change the shape of the African continent.

“A country enhances its prosperity by investing in new ideas, new opportunities, new jobs,” she said.

Edited by Samantha Herbst
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

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