On a blistering hot Friday in Pretoria last week, behind the glass-and-steel architecture of the headquarters of troubled ICT firm BCX, something emerged that may be the beginnings of a coherent SA response to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
About 40 people from government, universities and public research institutions gathered at the sprawling campus’s multipurpose meeting centre. Among those present were representatives from the departments of trade & industry, telecommunications & postal services, public service & administration, and science & technology. The Reserve Bank, Telkom, the Human Sciences Research Council and the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research were also in the room.
They were invited by the SA Fourth Industrial Revolution Initiative (4IRSA), a new collaboration between the universities of Johannesburg, Fort Hare, and Wits. Telkom is the founding sponsor.
This is not the first time such a gathering has met to talk about all things 4IR. But this event was unique.
First, it was convened by neither government nor industry, in the hope that it will result in a process free from the petty rivalries of government departments and the narrow ambitions of private companies.
Second, the prominent role of the universities suggests 4IRSA will favour a research-led process to harness the power of the 4IR.
Last, 4IRSA’s goals are ambitious. Where others have looked at purely sectoral challenges, it aims for a unified national dialogue over the next few months. It wants a single coherent national strategy for the digital age.
“There were definitely multiple synergies between those present, and a willingness by all parties to work together towards a common goal — namely, ensuring that SA defines its own game plan for the way it can prosper from the 4IR,” says Brian Armstrong, professor of digital business at Wits Business School and head of the secretariat of 4IRSA.
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