Dr Beverly Damonse, Group Executive of the NRF
Dr Jabulani Nukeri, Managing Director of SAASTA
Mr Graham Briggs, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Harmony Gold Mining Company
Learners
School principals and educators
Good evening to you all and welcome.
I'm pleased to have the opportunity to speak to Olympiad participants and to organisers this evening. I warmly congratulate the award winners, South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), and teachers for this wonderful initiative.
South Africa and the whole of Africa are confronted with the urgent challenge of developing our science and technology capabilities so that we are able to respond to the development challenges of the continent.
We are keen to see success and the development of scientists in all disciplines - the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Our focus this evening and in the Olympiad programme is on expanding quality and success in mathematics, the natural sciences, and the life sciences.
We are short of skills and we must fill the gap. Many of you may ask why this gap is a concern. I will set out a few reasons and then share with you work that indicates we have the young talent in South Africa and Africa to meet our scientific challenges.
So why does science and technology matter so much? It matters because the world needs you to help it devise new solutions to sustainable development so as to provide food and energy and security to our communities. It matters because the world needs you to provide sustainable solutions that will ensure that we save the earth and its resources for future generations.
It took 250 000 years of human existence for the living population to reach 1 billion. It took barely twelve years for the world’s population to increase from 6 billion to 7 billion. By 2050, it is estimated that more than 10 billion people will live on our earth.
This astounding growth in population implies a great deal of work must be done by future researchers and innovators. Current concerns about climate change mean that the old ways of generating energy must give way to the deployment of innovative and environmentally friendly technology solutions.
Many people in Africa don't have access to energy, even though we have abundant fossil fuels. Future scientist will have to develop new technologies that allow us to use such natural resources in a manner that reduces environmental risk.
In science and technology we are investing in clean technology development. We believe that clean technology solutions can play a role in expanding energy, creating new enterprises and jobs. Some of the most exciting work is in the area of hydrogen and fuel cell development. It's potentially the clean fuel of the future. We can see promising beginnings of a shift towards a future hydrogen economy. Already some in the private sector are using these innovations for back-up power.
We have some of the best conditions for solar energy in the world, and sufficient wind-energy potential to respond to our energy needs. Innovators in schools and universities from Guguletu to Mamelodi and Cape Town to Pretoria are working on wind and solar-power projects. We also intend to expand our nuclear energy capacity and need the skills to help us obtain our goals.
Scientists are doing good work on the area of food security. Here is a fascinating example. Agriprotein Technologies, a technology start-up company, successfully developed and piloted a nutrient recycling technology that converts organic waste to animal feed protein. Here we have millions of rand invested, 3 production factories in South Africa built, and hundreds of jobs created.
South Africa is a water-scarce country. Those of us who grew up townships or informal settlements know what a problem the lack of water can be. Ludwick Marishane knew what it was like when he was growing up in a township in Limpopo and so he dreamed up a type of gel that people can use to clean themselves - without water - when he was a pupil and developed it into an award-winning product when he was a student. He responded to the challenge of how to save water in a water-scarce country.
In the important area of housing and shelter, the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) has a specialist unit that has built a demonstration suburb in Kleinmond in the Western Cape. The CSIR’s principal built-environment researcher, Llewellyn van Wyk, calls these houses the “Citi Golf”of subsidy houses replete with solar heating and built with new building materials.
The bioeconomy offers great opportunities to address some of our most pressing societal challenges. Its value lies not only in reducing the burden of chronic and infectious diseases, but also in waste management, biofuel production and food security. I believe you will assist us in unlocking the massive potential that lies in our natural resources.
International collaboration is critically important in health research to help us stay free from disease. Over the past few years, there has been international acclaim for South African successes, such as the discovery at the University of Cape Town of a novel chemical compound that has the exciting potential to impact on both the control and eradication of malaria.
South Africa is investing in space science through the South African National Space Agency and its programmes, and the generation and utilisation of earth-observation data. Recently, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, celebrated the launch of a nano-satellite designed and built by its students.
Astronomy is the flagship science and technology success story of democratic South Africa. Our astronomy programme is making a major contribution to the development of science capacities across the African continent. These efforts have already been rewarded by the development of a new impressive cohort of young, talented African scientists and engineers.
We are proud that the SKA project is well positioned to play a pathfinder role for a new generation of global-science partnerships. With its strong current footprint of initiatives on the continent, the SKA will play a dynamic role in harnessing Africa’s science and technology capacities to contribute to global growth and development.
All of these projects and programmes require decades of work and investment. You will also work on them and help to create a better Africa and a better world.
