The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, has urged the country's young people to take advantage of the unprecedented growth in many technology sectors – in particular in information and communication technology.
"Who better than the youth to take advantage of this opportunity? As one famous technology entrepreneur said: "No-one old ever invented anything on the Internet," said Minister Pandor during her address at the opening of the revamped auditorium at the Cape Town Science Centre.
Global software company SAP is a long-standing supporter of science and technology in South Africa and has been partnering with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) for many years to advance human capital development in Information and communications technology (ICT). SAP sponsored the refurbishment of the auditorium at the Science Centre to the tune of R1 million.
The Minister said that science centres had become important places for young people to engage with scientific experiments and platforms for learners to find out about the vast range of careers young people can follow in fields relating to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation.
There are 34 science centres, spread across eight of the country's provinces.
The Minister welcomed the fact that the opening of the auditorium coincided with National Science Week, led the Department of Science and Technology, which is held annually to bring science closer to the people. She urged the public to join in some of the many activities taking place all over the country.
The Minister also expressed sincere appreciation of SAP's substantial investment in infrastructure like the auditorium, as well as their annual support for robotics competitions. SAP's contribution to the science centre had provided a foundation for many thousands of learners and members of the general public to benefit in the future.
While corporate social investment was of immense importance, the Minister was of the opinion that a well-conceived partnership between various stakeholders would achieve more than the efforts of individual companies on their own.
She said the future of the country and the African continent depended on talented scientists and entrepreneurs with scarce skills developing new technologies and innovative solutions for pressing problems.
"We are aggressively investing in the capacity to create and diffuse new knowledge. Following global trends, we are investing in the modernisation of research and development infrastructure and, in particular, new instruments and facilities (like the Centre for High Performance Computing, and the SKA) as key components in the drive to ensure that there is the requisite capacity to generate new knowledge," said Minister Pandor.
Robert Enslin, President of Global Customer Operations and Executive Board member of SAP, said it was critical for business to partner with government and educational institutions in a bid to foster a culture of learning and skills development among youth.
"As the fastest-growing digital consumer market, and with a wealth of young labour, Africa is perfectly poised to take a lead in the digital economy – but we need to ensure our youth are properly trained, especially in the ICT sphere, and prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that the digital economy can offer."
Julie Cleverdon, the Director of the Cape Town Science Centre, welcomed the new addition to the centre, saying the facility offered a platform for science and education awareness that is used by many other organisations and Non-governmental organisation (NGOs) that are involved with educating young people.
"We have enjoyed SAP's invaluable support since 2011 via a host of initiatives, including volunteering, sponsorship and mentorship."
The science centre plays an important role in exciting children from both privileged and under privileged backgrounds in the Western Cape about science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as teaching them skills in these areas. Its interactive displays include a human gyroscope and a planetarium.
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