Gina said that of all those countries that innovate rather than import technology solutions are the strongest.
Dr. Nomalungelo Gina, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), says innovation is the lifeline of any visionary country and industrialization.
Gina delivered the opening keynote address at the inaugural SA Innovation Week 2026 in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 18 March.
innovation week
SA Innovation Week is a key initiative of the Technology Innovation Agency, an agency of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, under its Strategic Plan 2025 to 2030.
It brings together the energy, talent and capital of the innovation ecosystem into a shared showcase, networking and dialogue platform.
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Research & Development
Gina said research and development (R&D) receives low funding, particularly from the private sector, limiting South Africa's ability to develop and commercialize indigenous technologies.
“Innovation is the lifeblood of any forward-looking country and industrialization. It is common knowledge that all fast-growing economies are driven by strong investments in research and development (R&D) and a robust system for commercialization of prototypes.”
horse racing
“All countries that innovate rather than import technology solutions are the strongest,” Gina said.
He said South Africa's barriers include agencies such as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and universities hosting many technology demonstrators as prototypes that have not been translated into the economy.
“In other words, the private sector is not adopting these technologies, which are ready to be disseminated across the economy. These are the innovation gaps that we as DSTI seek to address through industry partnership activities.”
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bridging the gap
Jeena said that to bridge this gap, the government is focusing on the following:
- Modernizing traditional sectors by using technology to increase productivity in agriculture, mining and manufacturing.
- Focusing on the digital economy with a focus on AI, data analytics and the fourth industrial revolution to improve government service delivery and business competitiveness. And,
- Moving towards sustainable, low-carbon industrial pathways and better waste management and an overall circular economy path.
“To achieve the above ambitions, we have established the Innovation Fund, which TIA uses to help de-risk early-stage technologies and attract private venture capital,” said Gina.
lack of skill
Jeena said another challenge the country faces is that the future economy, which is primarily driven by new technologies including AI, is facing a skills shortage.
“As a country we have a skills mismatch; more graduates are unemployed because they have skills that this gig economy doesn't really need, yet we need to develop these skills and capabilities very quickly to become key players in this emerging economy.
“At the heart of our efforts is building a new pipeline of STEM-related professionals who will be key players in the new economy, including the innovators of the future,” he said.
Innovators
Jeena said that innovation is happening everywhere in the country, not only in science centres, universities and laboratories, but also in industries.
“It is also in townships and rural communities that will help us coordinate holistically and leave no one behind in using our funding tools to support innovation.
“As the government, we are partnering with telcos to address the digital divide between urban and rural areas and bridge the gap in innovation through connectivity,” Jeena said.
Gina encouraged the young innovators to make the most of the week and network vigorously, saying that the key is partnership, not competition, to develop prototypes.
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