The South African Treasury put out a document in 2018 about creating opportunities for all South Africans to live productive, prosperous, and dignified lives. This is a noble calling, but I think it requires a re-think given the global changes that will affect us all. It has not worked due to leadership deficits.
Nearly 30 years ago, a group of industrialised nations agreed to develop a new sustainable energy alternative for the future. The Parties to the ITER Agreement (the ITER Members) are the People’s Republic of China; the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom); the Republic of India; Japan; the Republic of Korea; the Russian Federation; and the United States of America. The world needs many things and energy is one of the more important ones at present.
South Africa has not focused on quality education for its population at either primary, secondary or at university level, The point that government has missed, are missing and will miss in the future is this: Wealth creators are often government bodies that focus on not what the economy is doing but what it is capable of doing in the long term. They allow for the private sector to have a fertile ground for partnerships with the State. This is what drives tech companies, space companies, medical and yes, energy companies.
It starts with capable Politicians able to seize opportunities for common good. (Note, we did not say educated, because in this regard we would need Physics, Science, Engineering and Maths leaders, of which we have very few). Young students call for radical economic transformation. What they should seize on is creating economic transformation that encourages the very best of them to direct the course of state-led innovation but account for what each player/s will bring to the changing world economy. The world needs Medical Professionals, Statisticians & Data Analysts, Science and Engineering specialists, Energy specialists (Wind, Solar, Fusion) and there are more.
It often seems to me that some segments of society do not want change, they attack the existing status quo when re-skilling and up-skilling should be the order of the day. The State budget should not be slashed but be used to create and foster the new role they will adopt. Profits must go to social and economic upliftment. Hello #Africa, wake up!
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