Programme Director,
Allow me greet the keynote speakers individually:

Vania Gomes Zuin (Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil),
Natalia P Tarasova (D Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Moscow, Russia),
Vivek Polshettiwar (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India),
Buxing Han (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China),
Willem van Otterlo (Stellenbosch University, South Africa),
Fabio Aricò, Ca’Foscari (University, Venice),
Chao-Jun Li, (McGill University, Montreal),
Egid Mubofu, (University of Dar es Salaam),
Ana Aguiar-Ricardo, (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica),
Janet L. Scott, (University of Bath),
Engida Temechegn, (Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa),
Charlotta Turner, (Lund University),
John Warner, (Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, Wilmington).
 

It’s a pleasure and an honour to be here to give you a message of support from the South African government. The message is that we take green chemistry for sustainable development very seriously. South Africa's chemical industry is of substantial economic significance, contributing around 5% to our gross domestic product (GDP) and approximately 25% of our manufacturing sales.

This is the first time that this important international conference comes to Africa. Thank you for choosing to hold it in South Africa. Perhaps that is why there are so many Africans in the audience. I have to say that I’m pleased and proud to see so many delegates from Africa. Thank you for coming to take up this unique opportunity to promote green chemistry on the African continent. I’m also pleased and proud to see so many delegates from the rest of the world. I hope you will be able to network with African researchers and and open up global exchanges.

Powerful forces are driving a green economic revolution worldwide, providing in the process a strong lever for broad-based economic development in many parts of the globe, and often re-orienting national development trajectories. South Africa, having one of the most carbon-intensive economies in the world, is no exception. Our government is strongly committed to unleashing the potential of the green economy.

Sustainable development is a core organising idea in the National Development Plan (NDP) that South Africa adopted only recently in 2012. It’s the first plan we have developed that encompasses the whole of government. It sets out a vision 2030 for South Africa, with key targets to be met and identifies specific steps for implementation. It takes a strategic, wide-ranging view at the challenges and opportunities before us; and is based on an extensive consultation with the South African public. It is a plan for dealing with unemployment, inequality and poverty.

The NDP is an integrated approach to policy making, combining theory, evidence and practice with an aim of ensuring pragmatism and continuous learning in implementation and governance. It advocates a radical transformation in the economy within the context of a mixed economy. It calls for a strong and effective state that is able to intervene on behalf of the poor and marginalised in order to correct the historic imbalances of power and the accumulation of wealth. It proposes a dialogue between business, labour and government as a means towards ensuring investment, employment and growth.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) focuses on specific areas for R&D - astronomy, energy, bio economy - in which we intend to become world leaders. We aim to catalyze vibrant, knowledge-based activities in South Africa that will be driven by the quality of the scientists we train, the quality of our research and development infrastructure, and the enablers we have put in place to turn scientific research into technology. The DST has, over the years, made significant investments in centres of excellence, research chairs and national research facilities.

In the DST, and in government as a whole, our two key drivers are to build a knowledge-intensive economy and to build one that is sustainable. It's our belief that we can both create jobs and cut carbon emissions. In our view the green economy offers a double dividend –more low-carbon jobs and less carbon emissions. Our real problem - and it’s a problem that most of you confront in your own countries - lies in youth unemployment, which is very high.

It’s clear that high-tech innovations will help employment grow over the long term, as new technology spreads throughout the economy and transforms other, larger sectors. But it is also clear that the clean-technology business by itself doesn’t employ many people at the moment, but it’s what could happen in the future, that we should focus upon. Existing jobs will need to be redesigned and workers skilled or re-skilled.

The social impact of chemistry has been considerable, helping to improve health care, conserve natural resources, and protect the environment. Innovative breakthroughs in chemistry have led to the development of new technologies, processes and products that are found everywhere on earth - drugs, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics. As delegates to this conference I am sure that you are all committed green chemists and you will all agree that stakeholders in the chemical sector have a duty to integrate the principles of green chemistry and green engineering into their manufacturing processes.

Let me tell you about some of the DST's green interventions in the mining and resource sector, the bio-economy sector and the energy sector. The DST is playing an active developmental role is the building of a multi-product South African titanium industry across the value chain. A core component of a titanium industry is the scaling-up of a breakthrough innovation in the production of titanium metal powder into a commercially viable process.

The DST is also supporting the Fluorochemicals Expansion Initiative with the launch of a multipurpose fluorination pilot plant (MPFP) at the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (NECSA). The MPFP enables South Africa to build new markets for novel and promising fluorine-based chemicals by producing sufficient quantities of samples for potential buyers and development partners. This is a vital step in expanding the range of fluorochemicals where South Africa is either an exclusive or preferred supplier.

In the bio-economy sector our initiative with the deciduous fruit industry stands out as a classic case of industry, government, academia and science councils collaborating to enhance the competiveness of our fruit exports. The Post-Harvest Innovation Programme was first launched in 2007 and was renewed in 2011. It has funded 54 research projects in the fresh fruit sector to address post-harvest issues such as product control during transit, packaging, non-invasive fruit quality assessment, and post-harvest disease control.

In the energy sector we are pursuing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. In 2008, the DST formally launched the "National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Research, Development and Innovation Strategy", which has the shorter name "HySA". The vision of HySA is to promote the development of clean technologies that make effective use of our strategic resources, putting us at the cutting edge of this important arena of technological development.

Energy storage solutions favour the integration of diverse energy sources, and through its diverse production paths, hydrogen provides a flexible energy storage and carrier option. When used as feedstock for fuel cells, hydrogen produces electricity efficiently with zero emissions, even for applications such as electric vehicles.

The DST is developing a roadmap for energy storage. We are working with the Department of Energy to include hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in the Integrated Resource Plan, and with the Department of Trade and Industry to facilitate the deployment of fuel cells. We already have a coordinated approach through the formation of a Fuel Cells Solutions Task Team, and the Platinum Valley Special Economic Zone Steering Committee.

All these efforts by government are aimed at accelerating the deployment of fuel-cell technologies. These are necessary steps to creating new enterprises, to extending existing industry branches, and to creating employment opportunities.

In closing, let me repeat that the National Development Plan endorses the need to move to a low carbon economy, while acknowledging that this transition will require innovative solutions. It is important for us to understand the implications of our development plans on future carbon emissions, to ensure that future growth is not carbon intensive.

Cities in this country and around the world need to become leaders in climate change mitigation and adaptation. South African cities in particular are affected by urban sprawl, which reduces biodiversity and increases transportation emissions. Our cities are also affected by apartheid planning where the poorest communities live far away from services or on flood plains, increasing their vulnerability and also exacerbating the transportation emissions.

The Department of Science and Technology emphasises science, technology and innovation in the field of climate change as one of its Global Grand Challenges. It is important for all of us to understand the causes and impact of climate change, so that we can be empowered to become responsible citizens and to make changes in our lives that will improve not only our environment but also our quality of life. This behavioural change in society is crucial to a sustainable future.