The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) has partnered with the South African Road Federation (SARF) and various other prominent transportation industry role players to encourage knowledge sharing and promotion relating to South Africa’s road industry.
The initiative falls under the Road Pavement Forum (RPF), a forum for sharing and debating road-related matters relevant to the South African roads industry. The forum was established in August 2000 and aims to provide a perspective of overarching strategic issues as it affects pavement engineering.
The RPF makes provision for wider representation and participation from the broader roads industry, particularly urban and provincial authorities, tertiary institutions and contractors. It also allows for broader regional representation. South Africa can play an important facilitating role as a catalyst for technology transfer in the southern African region, and the RPF could become a vital part of this process.
“SAICE’s collaboration under the RPF is a natural extension of our strategy towards knowledge sharing and education in our industry,” comments SAICE CEO, Vishaal Lutchman. “Our SAICE Academy will continue with this association, bringing everyone together in the interests of the professional agenda.”
SAICE’s partnership with SARF is fitting, as SARF is dedicated to the promotion of the road industry in South Africa by dissemination of information, the promotion of sound policies and by education and training. “With this focus on education, we look forward to wider industry engagement on topical issues,” says Lutchman.
Aligned with this, the RPF hosted an insightful webinar that took place in early May and addressed pressing challenges facing the sector including pavement design and construction, road funding, and artificial intelligence in road maintenance. Thanks to the partnership, SAICE members attended the webinar at no cost and are encouraged to share interesting topics and projects for discussion at future RPF conferences.
Through its conferences and initiatives, the RPF aims to promote best practice; establish task groups with specific national objectives; and address technology development in the industry and the adoption of this technology. It aims to be a platform that encourages industry participation, discussion, and sharing of advice, where theory meets practice.