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Polity
Published: 05 Apr 2005
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| Shilowa: Opening of the Innovation Hub (05/04/2005) | |
| Date: 05/04/2005 Source: Gauteng Provincial Government Title: Shilowa: Opening of the Innovation Hub Address by Gauteng Premier, Mbhazima Shilowa, at the opening of The Innovation Hub, Tshwane Master of ceremonies MEC for Finance and Economic Affairs, Paul Mashatile; Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom; Members of the City of Tshwane Mayoral Committee; Chairperson of the Blue IQ Board, Mutle Mogase; CEO of Blue IQ, Nomhle Canca; CEO of The Innovation Hub, Neville Comins; Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Consulate Generals and members of the diplomatic corp, Mr Sten Gunnar Johansson, of the International Association of Science Parks Innovators and entrepreneurs Distinguished guests Ladies and Gentlemen Today's opening of The Innovation Hub - our country's first internationally accredited Science Park - is indeed a proud moment for the Gauteng Provincial Government. It represents yet another milestone in the realisation of our vision of a smart province which is capable of addressing the challenges of unemployment and poverty. The opening of The Innovation Hub is a manifestation of an economic growth path we chose as far back as 1997. It is the result of a deliberate decision to invest in strategic economic infrastructure to promote the knowledge economy and value-added manufacturing, through what later became known as Blue IQ. The unprecedented and sustained economic growth we have seen in our country and our province in recent years has been the result of bold initiatives such as those we initiated through Blue IQ and other measures to stimulate investment, growth and economic opportunities. The recent Labour Force Survey results show that as a country we are beginning to turn the corner in reducing unemployment. Gauteng continues to provide the most jobs, increasing from an estimated 2,66 million jobs in February 2000 to 3,35 million jobs in March 2004. While we have cause to celebrate the economic achievements of our country and our province, we cannot rest on our laurels in the hope that Gauteng will continue to prosper and grow as the country's economic hub. There is a lot more we need to do to continue to make that happen. Tomorrow we will launch our new Growth and Development Strategy, which we believe will help shift our economy's growth to even higher levels and enable us to achieve a growth rate of 8% by 2014. The strategy was developed together with business, labour and other stakeholders in our province and targets six key growth sectors which will receive focused support and investment. These are: * Smart Industries, including ICT, and pharmaceuticals * Trade and services, including finance and film * Tourism * Agriculture including agri-processing and bio-technology * Manufacturing including steel-related industries, automotive parts and components, beer and malt and * Infrastructure expansion and investment. To further boost our prospects as a province and in support of national objectives, provincial and local government in Gauteng have agreed on the need to build Gauteng as a thriving globally competitive city region which is able to attract investment, high-level skills and tourism and improve the quality of life of our people. Boosting technological innovation in the high-tech and knowledge-intensive sector, which The Innovation Hub is designed to achieve, will be a crucial in achieving this global competitiveness and providing a specialized home for both local and international business. Building Gauteng as a global city region will require not just closer cooperation between the three spheres of government, parastatals and the private sector. It will need a practical alignment of spatial and sectoral development plans as well as provincial and city development strategies, integrated development plans and local economic development strategies. The Innovation Hub is in a sense a microcosm of our broader growth strategy. Through public investment in infrastructure, we have created this new entity and new opportunities for business growth and job creation which we hope will have a catalytic effect both within the Tshwane area and within the province's knowledge economy. This positive impact will be felt more broadly in Gauteng over the next three years as we plan to spend over R17 billion on public infrastructure. The Innovation Hub is being built on the basis of strong cooperation between the provincial government, the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, the private sector, the Tshwane University of Technology, the CSIR and others in the academic, research and scientific community. It is a shining example of the type of smart partnerships that we need to further extend within the knowledge-based sector and indeed in the province as a whole to make Gauteng more globally competitive. In addition, it will play a key role in strengthening the spatial "knowledge axis" between the CSIR, the University of Pretoria and the Tshwane University of Technology. In achieving our country's 2014 goal of halving unemployment and poverty, it is imperative that we not only further boost economic growth but also see to it that all our people, especially those previously excluded from participation in the mainstream economy, benefit from the growth and opportunities that are opening up. The promotion of small, medium and micro-enterprises and broad-based black economic empowerment will be a key mechanism to achieve this. The Hub's incubator programme will play an important role in ensuring that the knowledge sector is no longer the exclusive preserve of a minority in our country. When we celebrate the tenth anniversary of The Innovation Hub in 2015, let us also see black women innovators who have emerged through our programmes. We need to see more and more entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities emerging within the knowledge intensive industries. Let's take the science and technology revolution to our townships and informal settlements. Let's tap the potential for innovation and entrepreneurship of all our people for the benefit of all our people. The benefits of technological innovation and knowledge intensive industries will not only favour our economic development but also our social development. The resultant products and services can enhance economic growth and the quality of life of our people. For example, the Naledi3d Factory, a graduate of The Innovation Hub's maxum Business incubator, has developed virtual reality programmes for community development projects in South Africa and in Uganda, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. Quality education and skills development will continue to be a key driver of innovation and the knowledge economy. The Innovation Hub's partnership with the private sector and institutions of higher learning through the Coachlab leadership programme will play a key role in nurturing the talents and potential of post-graduates. In addition, we hope that the Hub will also assist in attracting high level skills to the province. Our education and skills development strategies will be critical in building Gauteng as a global city region. Within our schools, we are taking steps to enhance learning in maths, science and technology and entrepreneurship. Initiatives such as the Scibono discovery centre will help stimulate learners' interest in and understanding of science and technology. Gauteng Online is skilling our young people in information and communication technology through putting computers and internet access in schools and broadening their access to information and knowledge. The Smart Young Minds project aims to stimulate innovation and science and technology-related entrepreneurship among learners. Stimulating the Further Education and Training sector, promoting learnerships and developing closer partnerships with the tertiary educational sector and the academic and research communities will also enjoy priority to enable us to meet the needs of the Gauteng economy and ensure growth for all. Finally, I wish to congratulate all of you who have contributed to the strides we have made so far in making our vision of The Innovation Hub and the smart province a reality. When I spoke at the initiation of The Innovation Hub project in March 2001, I quoted former US President, Bill Clinton, who said: "In the new century, innovations in science and technology will be key not only to the health of the environment, but to miraculous improvements in the quality of our lives and advances in the economy." We have come a long way since then. I am confident that not only will The Innovation Hub indeed become a world-class Science Park but that it will make a significant contribution to our vision of Gauteng as a global city region and the improvement in of our people's lives and our economy. Thank you For more information contact: Annette Griessel Cell: 082 563 3614 Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Government 5 April 2005 |
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