Programme director;
Prof Jonathan Jansen; Free State University Vice-Chancellor;
Dr Rhoda Kadalie; Executive Director; Impumelelo Social Innovations Centre;
Trustees of the Impumelelo Social Innovations Centre;
Representatives from the Liberty Group;
Social entrepreneurs;
Distinguished guests:
On this special evening we are celebrating the outstanding achievements of social innovators who have excelled at what they set out to do. Their achievements exemplify the true spirit of innovation.
As one of the greatest social activists of our time and Nobel Peace Prize winner, the late Wangari Maathai, once remarked: "Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life-support system. We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and, in the process, heal our own – indeed to embrace the whole of creation in all its diversity, beauty and wonder. Recognising that sustainable development, democracy and peace are indivisible is an idea whose time has come."
I believe it is in the same spirit of recognising the interconnectedness of sustainable development, democracy and peace that the Impumelelo Social Innovation Centre and other NGOs are paving the way for social innovation to play an increasingly significant role in society.
Excellence in Public Service is the theme for this evening's awards ceremony. One of the toughest development challenges we have to confront is the social and economic inequality in our society, and this all too often articulated as a gap between citizens and government and the frustration at the lack of access to basic services.
There is an obligation on all of us - government, private sector and civil society - to collaborate in identifying and developing models that have the greatest promise to impact positively on the livelihoods of impoverished and vulnerable people.
And we must use innovative ways to meet the legitimate needs and expectations of our people. A culture of innovation, supported by leadership at all levels, is pivotal in this regard. As emphasised in the National Development Plan, improved service delivery needs a systematic alignment of targeted, focused initiatives.
If government is to fully realise its potential as a force for the kind of social innovation required, then using technology and innovation to increase people's access to information and new technology becomes paramount. We need to focus on four areas –
- firstly, encouraging and inviting innovative ideas and technology solutions;
- secondly, building an evidence base on what works and why;
- thirdly, scaling up successful initiatives and responses;
- and lastly, mobilising action around these issues.
This gala awards ceremony – for which the Impumelelo Centre should be commended – is vitally important for profiling social innovation models that are pushing boundaries and are bringing to life the abstract concept of "social innovation". It will inspire the next generation of social innovators to build on these models and apply them in different socio-economic contexts.
It is really quite remarkable that there have been over 450 Social Innovation Award Winners. Over the years Impumelelo has developed a body of knowledge, as well as an impressive network of social innovators.
These Awards have played an important role in contributing to improved service delivery; they have increased the mobilisation of funding for social innovators, and have influenced government and the private sector to scale up various projects.
Identifying and scaling up solutions that have demonstrated success is surely one of the public sector's foremost challenges. We need to understand and address the barriers that prevent great ideas from evolving into meaningful transformation. Unlike in the private sector, where successful product innovations have a strong likelihood of getting the reward of gaining market share, the best social innovations are not necessarily widely adopted.
I am convinced that there is a window of opportunity for greater cross-sectoral dialogue, inter-sectoral collaboration and experimentation with new approaches for achieving inclusive growth and improved wellbeing. This opportunity must not be missed.
There is an old proverb: "If you want to get somewhere quickly, travel alone. If you want to go far, take others along." Cooperation among civil society, business, the development aid sector, and government is a good way of finding better approaches and models, and ensuring that social innovations have the further reach and greatest impact.
This Awards Ceremony helps us to understand which interventions work – or not – as well as how, why, and when, and will make a considerable contribution to learning in the field.
In closing, I would like to congratulate all the award winners and the Impumelelo Social Innovation Centre for their outstanding contribution to social innovation.
Thank you.
