Earlier today, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande delivered a deeply insightful opening address at the G20 Women & Girls in Science side event.
This event forms part of a series of activities by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, under the auspices of the G20 Research and Innovation Working Group programme, which is chaired by Minister Nzimande.
Today’s event was hosted in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), Women 20 (W20) and Youth (Y20) and the DSTI’s entity, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).
Reflecting on the historical problem of the oppression and exclusion of women, Minister Nzimande stated that “For decades, discriminatory laws and practices have been used to deny women and girls equal access to various development opportunities, including entry into the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics."
"This exclusion didn’t just impede the development of women and girls, but it also resulted in the skewed development outcomes for various countries. One of the enduring lessons that this teaches us is that, for any national development to be meaningful and sustainable, it must be inclusive” added the Minister.
Minister Nzimande further expressed his concern for the persistence of global gender inequities by stating that “Even though commendable progress has been made in a number of respects, it is also true that our world continues to exhibit worrying gender inequities. For instance, women make up less than one-third of the STEM workforce worldwide and only about 33.3% of researchers worldwide are women.”
As part of addressing the development challenges facing women and girls, Minister Nzimande also highlighted some of the interventions by his department such as the African Girls’ Can Code Initiative (AGCCI), the South African Chapter of SADC WISETO (Women in Science, Technology, and Engineering), the Women in Innovation, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (WISTEM) portal and the South African Women in Science Awards (SAWiSA)
Minister Nzimande also used today’s event to amplify his call for young girls to take up space in science, technology and innovation by stating that “We also want you to go into emerging careers such as Data Analysts and Scientists, AI and Machine Learning Engineers and Robotics Engineers.”
One of the highlights of today’s event was the keynote address by the distinguished scientist and malariologist, Emeritus Professor Rose Gana Fomban Leke, who delivered a profoundly inspirational speech under theme “Science with Purpose: A Journey of Advancing Health, Equity and Women’s Leadership in Africa”.
Tomorrow (Sunday, 21 September), Minister Nzimande will address the Chief Science Advisers' Roundtable (CSAR) at the CSIR International Convention Centre from 15:00 to 17:00.
The DSTI’s G20 programme will culminate in the G20 Research and Innovation Ministerial Meeting on Tuesday, 23 September 2025, in Pretoria, at which the Tshwane Declaration (the G20 Research and Innovation Ministerial Declaration) will be adopted.
Enquiries:
Mr Veli Mbele
Media Liaison Officer and Spokesperson to the Minister
Cell: 064 615 0644
E-mail: Veli.Mbele@dsti.gov.za
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