Category: Africa

Shanghai, China– South Africa is seeking to strengthen its pipeline of scientists and innovators through investment in young researchers, skills development and international cooperation, while recognising that support must begin long before students enter university.

Department of Science, Technology and Innovation Director-General, Dr Mlungisi Cele, outlined this approach during the Science and Technology Policy Thematic Forum at the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation Director-General, Dr Mlungisi Cele in Shanghai, China, on Sunday.

“While our system is relatively strong, given its size, there is an opportunity to strengthen our talent pipeline,” he said.

The engagement examined how countries can better integrate education, scientific research, technological innovation and talent development so that knowledge contributes meaningfully to economic growth and social progress.

Cele’s address placed the development of young people at the centre of this effort, linking opportunities at school with postgraduate training, research careers and the skills required for emerging technologies.

He said government continues to invest in strategic interventions to cultivate a new generation of postgraduate researchers, including opportunities for postgraduate students and early-career researchers in international research settings.

The department also supported postgraduate development through scholarships, alongside investment in research capacity at public universities.

Cele highlighted the South African Research Chairs Initiative as an instrument for strengthening research and innovation through the establishment of chairs at universities and sustained investment.

These interventions formed part of a broader effort to build scientific capabilities while ensuring that researchers had opportunities to develop their expertise.

READ | Call to close SA research funding gap

Talent development
However, his remarks also acknowledged that the country’s future research workforce depends on the strength of the education pipeline feeding into universities.
He pointed to the need for greater specificity in supporting younger students, “from early childhood to high school”.

The department’s support included the National Science Olympiad and science projects that gave learners opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities.

Such initiatives featured in his account of a connected talent development pipeline stretching from basic education through tertiary study and into the pursuit of national economic and social goals.

Cele acknowledged that existing challenges within the system were affecting progress towards the country’s aspirations.

Alongside this focus on younger learners, he emphasised preparing people for technological changes that could reshape research and employment.
“We also support the development of skills for the future of work, as well as foundational research capabilities,” he said.

He referred to the growing impact of artificial intelligence and the potential significance of quantum computing, linking skills development to the country’s wider digital economy ambitions.

Partnerships
International partnerships are another central element of the approach, offering a means to support talent development through shared research interests and cooperation.
Cele identified the Young Scientists Programme, joint research centres and collaborative research among the instruments contributing to South Africa’s efforts.

He also pointed to China–Africa cooperation and bilateral government agreements as avenues for advancing the development of scientific talent.

His participation brought South Africa’s experience into a discussion about capable institutions, future generations of researchers and innovators, and policy systems that enable scientific advances to address societal challenges.

The focus was on developing people alongside research capacity, with education, skills and cooperation contributing to the country’s longer-term scientific and development ambitions.

He outlined an ambition for a South Africa with an expanded talent pipeline, a stronger national research workforce and a more inclusive economy driven by innovation.

Achieving that vision, he said, involved connecting support across different stages of education and research while maintaining cooperation with international partners. This connected approach linked the cultivation of scientific talent to the country’s broader economic and social aspirations.

“We will continue strengthening scientific excellence, drawing on our national strengths, while also leveraging collaboration strategies with partners such as China and Shanghai,” Cele said.

The forum, which the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, addressed on Saturday, will conclude on 14 September 2026. –SAnews.gov.za 

New Delhi, India -BRICS says it will strengthen cooperation within its grouping in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to drive socio-economic growth and digital transformation.

“We recognise the transformative impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a key driver of socio-economic growth and digital transformation in BRICS countries and reaffirm our commitment to further strengthening collaboration in this regard, based on each country’s national priorities and international commitments,” BRICS said in the New Delhi Declaration adopted on Saturday.

India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Saturday and Sunday under the theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting a people-centred and humanity-first approach.

The grouping called for concerted and inclusive efforts to address challenges stemming from and within the digital realm, such as threats to security in the use of ICTs, malicious software, data security, and the misuse of technologies including cybercrime, misinformation, hate speech, disinformation and deepfakes. 

“We call for a comprehensive, balanced, and objective approach to the development and security of ICT products and systems as well as for the development and implementation of globally interoperable common rules and standards for supply chain security. We emphasise the growing importance of telecommunications for the preservation of peace and economic and social development.

“We reaffirm our support for an open, safe, secure, stable, accessible, peaceful, and interoperable ICT environment while respecting sovereignty and national security of each country and welcome the operationalisation of the Global Mechanism on Developments in the Field of ICTs in the Context of International Security and Advancing Responsible States Behaviour in the Use of ICTs,” BRICS said.

The grouping emphasised the importance of promoting the use of ICT for peaceful and developmental purposes and in a more inclusive, accessible, sustainable and interoperable manner, and ensuring that its applications remain people-centred.

The New Delhi Declaration comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa attends the BRICS Leaders’ Summit. 

Illicit financial flows 
BRICS expressed concern about illicit financial flows, including the financing of terrorism, trafficking of firearms, trafficking in persons, the laundering of drug-related crime proceeds, use of ICTs for criminal purposes, illegal virtual asset flows, corruption and related illicit activities, money laundering, and financial fraud through organised crimes.

The group also condemned the circumvention of domestic regulatory frameworks that have an adverse impact on economic stability, sustainable development and the integrity of the international financial system and organized crime. 

“We also express concern about financing of terrorism. We recognise that these activities, including the illicit use of virtual assets and violations of domestic regulatory frameworks, may adversely affect economic stability, sustainable development and the integrity of the international financial system. 

“We express serious concerns over the proliferation of organised scam networks, including cross-border fraud operations and so-called scam compounds, which exploit digital technologies, payment systems and individuals in vulnerable situations.”

The formation further underscored the importance of coordinated international action to dismantle these illegal networks, trace and recover criminal proceeds, protect victims, and prevent the misuse of financial institutions and emerging payment methods for large-scale fraud. 

“We further stress the need to enhance cross-border cooperation among customs authorities, financial intelligence units, law enforcement agencies, tax authorities and supervisory bodies, including through relevant existing BRICS Working Groups and based on the documents adopted in BRICS, as well as the relevant international legal instruments to which the BRICS countries are parties, telecommunication providers and technology platforms.”

This includes improved information-sharing, a risk-based approach, use of data analytics and capacity-building, to effectively identify, detect and disrupt money laundering schemes involving both goods and services, including those exploiting the misuse of invoicing practices, professional services and cross-border contractual arrangements. 

“We encourage enhanced cooperation in strengthening digital financial security, including prevention of fraud in cross-border payment systems.

“We express concern over the situation with illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse worldwide, and recognise that it seriously threatens public security, health, safety and well-being of humankind and undermines the sustainable development of States,” BRICS said.

BRICS has expanded from its original membership of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia as full members.
The 2025 partner-country framework includes Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

According to India’s BRICS presidency, the 11 member countries account for about 49.5% of the world’s population, 40% of global gross domestic product and 26% of global trade.

The grouping provides a platform for consultation and cooperation on global and regional matters, including political, economic, financial and people-to-people cooperation. – SAnews.gov.za

Shanghai, China -Universities and companies must work together to ensure that graduates acquire the specialised knowledge, multidisciplinary outlook and practical experience demanded by rapidly changing industries, a senior Xiaomi executive has said.

Wang Dong, the company’s Vice-President of Human Resources, said businesses should become active participants in education instead of waiting for universities to produce graduates whom they could recruit and retrain.

He was speaking during the Science and Technology Policy Thematic Forum at the Dongjiao State Guest Hotel in Shanghai on the second day of the Pujiang Innovation Forum that got underway on Friday, 11 September 2026.

South Africa is participating in the forum as the first African nation designated Country of Honour.

“Enterprises are not merely users or employers of talent; they should become active participants in the broader education and talent-development system,” Wang said.

Xiaomi is a consumer-centered electronics and smart manufacturing company.

He said advances in artificial intelligence (AI), chips, intelligent manufacturing, assisted driving and human–machine intelligence would have limited value unless they were tested in real products and industrial settings.

“Ultimately, these people and technologies must enter the real world and become a force in actual products and industries,” he said.

Xiaomi, he said, was already placing robots in automobile factories to expose the technology to actual manufacturing conditions.
“They are no longer confined to demonstrations. We want them to enter real manufacturing environments, where they must perform real tasks, work with real equipment and operate under real conditions,” Wang said.

The immediate objective was not to deploy robots as a fully productive industrial workforce because the technology was not yet capable of that. Instead, factories provided testing grounds that could guide its development.

“All our cutting-edge research and development can ultimately be implemented within the company and tested in practice,” he said.

Despite rapid technological advances, Wang said people remained central to industrial development. Xiaomi recruited approximately 3 700 hardware professionals in 2026 and 15 000 employees over the past three years across computer science, electronic information, mechanical engineering, materials science and vehicle engineering.

The company’s experience, he said, had revealed three major changes in the skills required by industry.
“The first is that professional expertise must be deeper. AI appears capable of doing almost anything, but our practical experience shows that it makes specialised expertise even more important.”

Employees, he said, also needed broader knowledge because complex products combined vehicle engineering, hardware, materials, software and algorithms. Practical ability was equally critical because industrial problems rarely had standard answers and required people to balance cost, safety, efficiency and fairness, the executive added.

Wang said companies should communicate industrial needs to universities, send business representatives into classrooms and help students understand long-term technological challenges.

“Companies should not wait until they need employees before beginning to work with universities,” he said.

Xiaomi has converted its experience in internet technology, hardware, manufacturing and industrial design into course material delivered by frontline employees. Some courses had entered university credit systems.

The company has also moved parts of its workplace engineering training into universities. Its programmes covered 15 partner institutions, attracted more than 6 000 registrations and trained over 4 000 students, with more than 100 employment offers issued.

Xiaomi’s wider university partnerships included courses, training camps, joint research centres, industry lecturers, research funds and support for commercialising research.

Wang said the company wanted students to encounter real industrial conditions, technology to strengthen talent development and graduates to adapt to employment more quickly.

“Major change should begin with concrete and practical initiatives. Xiaomi remains open to deeper engagement and collaboration between companies and universities,” he said.

South Africa hopes to secure new partnerships and take its scientific capabilities to higher levels through its participation in the forum. 

In his address to the forum on Saturday, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Professor Blade Nzimande said South Africa and China would pursue closer collaboration in “artificial intelligence, joint research centres, space science and astronomy, quantum computing, cybersecurity, public engagement, youth development and the Young Scientists Exchange Programme”.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mlungisi Cele, said South Africa could learn from China’s ability to connect scientific research, industrial development and private-sector investment.

READ | Call to close SA research funding gap

–SAnews.gov.za

Shanghai, China -South Africa must close the funding gap that prevents promising scientific research from being converted into commercially viable products and services, says Department of Science, Technology and Innovation Director-General Mlungisi Cele.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 19th Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai, Cele said researchers were producing potentially valuable technologies, but many projects struggled to move beyond the laboratory and into the economy.

He described this difficult transition as the “valley of death”, saying “it requires a massive injection of funding”.
“The challenge in South Africa is that many projects are unable to progress. Some may reach the early stages of financing, but they cannot secure the funding required to move further,” said the Director-General (DG).

This meant that research supported by the government and undertaken at universities, science councils and other institutions could fail to reach the people and industries that needed it.

Closing the commercialisation gap would require the government and private sector to share the cost and risk of developing new technologies, Cele said.

He argued that the State had a particular responsibility to support innovations that were strategically important but considered too risky by conventional investors.
“The State must be prepared to invest in initiatives and projects that are high-risk. It must be fearless while also attracting private-sector investment.”

Cele described greater government funding and increased private investment as a “twin strategy” for advancing South African innovations.
“That is the twin strategy: getting more investment from government, while also attracting capital from our businesses and local companies.

“We must encourage private investment at the stage when projects are not yet attractive to conventional investors. This stage is quite expensive, and that is why we really need the private sector to work with us,” he explained.

Private investors were often reluctant to finance technologies that had not yet demonstrated their commercial viability. This left researchers without the capital required to test, refine, manufacture and introduce their innovations to the market.

The DG said South Africa could learn from China’s ability to connect scientific research, industrial development and private-sector investment. However, South Africa would have to build a model suited to its own economy and research capabilities.

“We do not pretend that we can become like China within three years. China has its own capabilities, but we have also demonstrated our capabilities in certain areas.”

International cooperation would remain an important part of this effort. Partnerships with countries such as China could give South African researchers access to expertise, scientific instruments, software and other technologies needed to advance their work.

Cele cautioned, however, that South Africa should not become dependent on a single international partner for critical research funding or technology.

“Current geopolitics has taught us that a country cannot depend on one country for technologies.”
He pointed to the impact of the withdrawal of some United States of America funding on research into HIV and other diseases as an example of the risks created by excessive reliance on external support.

“Last year, the United States withdrew some of its funding, and it affected research into HIV and a range of other diseases. We had depended on that support without planning for what would happen if it was withdrawn,” Cele said.

Building the capacity to finance and commercialise locally developed technologies was therefore not only an economic priority but also a matter of national sovereignty.

“When we talk about sovereignty, this is one of the challenges. We want South Africa to be able to determine its own future without being subjected to external pressure,” he said.

South Africa’s challenge, Cele said, was to use international partnerships to strengthen domestic capabilities while mobilising local public and private capital.

A stronger commercialisation system would allow the country to convert more of its scientific knowledge into businesses, services, industrial technologies and solutions to social challenges.

“The Minister is working to establish a coordinated approach to setting a science, technology and innovation agenda that will enable us to stand on our own,” Cele said.

Meanwhile, China has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening science, technology and innovation cooperation with South Africa as the two countries work to give practical effect to their upgraded strategic partnership.

READ | China seeks deeper science and innovation cooperation with SA

The forum runs from 11 – 14 September and includes exhibitions, discussions and bilateral engagements involving governments, universities, science councils and the private sector. –SAnews.gov.za