SA’s competitive success must be sustained by human resource development: Ramaphosa

Japan was a valuable partner in the work South Africa was doing to educate and skill its people‚ and government looked to Japan to share innovative ways of attracting and keeping young people in the fields of maths and science‚ Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.

Addressing the third Japan Seminar‚ held in Johannesburg‚ Ramaphosa said industrialisation and skills development had been identified as key drivers of the country’s economic growth.

He said Japan was currently involved in implementing capacity building and training projects. The Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment Project‚ for example‚ had implemented training in Japan for agricultural experts from South Africa.

“We know that South Africa's competitive success must be supported and sustained by an investment in human resource development. It is for this reason that education is an apex priority of our government.

“We are grateful to the Japan International Cooperation Agency for advising our Department of Basic Education on promoting education in mathematics.

“The agency has also sent 20 volunteers to South Africa‚ approximately half of whom are teaching mathematics and computer technology in Technical Vocational Education and Training colleges.

“It has been part of the 'Employability Improvement' training programme at the Tshwane University of Technology‚ which has now been expanded to other universities of technology in the country.”

He said that Japan was considering establishing a Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) Human Resource Development Centre for Business and Industry in South Africa.

“As part of the African Business Education Initiative for the Youth announced under TICAD 5‚ Japan plans to train 100 young South Africans by the end of 2016 for Master's degrees at Japanese universities‚ in conjunction with internships at Japanese businesses.

“South Africa and Japan are cooperating on joint research projects like the production of biofuels using algal biomass‚ early warning systems for infectious diseases‚ mitigation of seismic risks at our mines and climate predictions.

“All of these initiatives demonstrate the unwavering commitment of the Japanese government and business community to support South Africa's development.”

Ramaphosa said the focus of the seminar was on building industrial clusters and human resource development‚ and the contribution of Japanese companies to the South African economy was critical.

There are more than 130 Japanese companies in South Africa. They provide employment to approximately 150‚000 people.

“As a country rich in commodities‚ we plan to move towards large-scale beneficiation of our natural resources. This will enable us to derive greater value from these resources‚ creating jobs‚ stimulating investment and diversifying our exports.

“We are therefore keen to collaborate with Japan in the area of hydrogen fuel cell technology. Japan is currently a leader in cutting-edge hydrogen technology and holds the largest share of patents in this field‚” Ramaphosa said.

“This technology holds the promise of a cleaner‚ more sustainable future. South Africa has a significant potential competitive advantage in developing hydrogen fuel cell technologies since our country is endowed with considerable deposits of platinum‚ a key catalytic material used in fuel cells.”

RDM News Wire.