Deputy president Paul Mashatile has called on the engineering industry to address the under-representation of women and other marginalised groups within the sector, a global phenomenon that is primarily structural and calls for strategic interventions.
He was speaking at the 9th Unesco Africa Engineering Week and Africa Engineering Conference held In Pretoria on Monday under the theme “Celebrating and Growing Engineering Excellence in the African Region”.
Some of the challenges, he said, were that marginalised groups face unconscious biases, a lack of workplace flexibility, unclear promotion paths and limited roles for women.
“Engineering is the backbone of any society and plays a role in shaping our world. As a scientific practice, engineering drives technological advancements, infrastructure development, and economic progress.
“Behind every remarkable architectural achievement, whether towering structures or intricate technological devices, is the profound expertise and innovative thinking of highly skilled personnel,” he said.
Mashatile’s other concern was the scarcity of adequate facilities that have further exacerbated the situation, “making it even more difficult for aspiring engineers, especially those among the underrepresented demographic groups, to receive the necessary training and opportunities within the sector”.
“It is essential to bridge the gaps in our education systems, promote research and development, and foster an environment that enables inclusion and professional growth for engineers already in the field, allowing not only engineering practitioners but also academic and training pipeline of trainers,” said Mashatile.
He said infrastructure investment has always been a crucial step for development, leading to many nations changing the trajectory of their economies during economic turmoil.
“Considering that our continent is plagued by numerous socio-economic challenges, such as access to water, food and energy, among other things, it is necessary that we emphasise the importance of infrastructure as a way to address some of these.
“Perhaps it may be vital that you think about ways to fast-track developments in the rail network and role infrastructure to quicken the efforts towards the ease of movement of products from Cape to Cairo. For example, this conference also allows us to collectively explore the avenues for integrating economic activity across the continent,” said Mashatile.
He said while the country is struggling to fulfil its energy requirements, the economy has been affected.
“In this regard, we welcome the pledges supporting South Africa’s Just Energy Transition, which now stands at $11.9bn (about R223bn).
“The country is mobilising additional finance, including grants, to facilitate the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy.
“This will help reduce the impact of load-shedding while keeping our environment clean.”
TimesLIVE
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