On Friday, 23 October 2020, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies gazetted the Report of the Presidential Commission on the 4th Industrial Revolution (PC4IR). The Report sets out SA’s strategy, response, and framework for the 4th industrial revolution (4IR).
In this post, we provide an overview of the report and the mandate of the PC4IR.
The Report of the Presidential Commission on the 4th Industrial Revolution
The PC4IR aims to steer SA forward by recommending how the country can position itself in the global 4IR economy. It says that 4IR is an opportunity for SA to achieve Vision 2030 and much more. By analysing international best practice, the Commission has developed a framework to harness the opportunity. The framework consists of eight pillars of 4IR strategy.
The Commission’s priority
The Commission states that its main priority is urgency and accountability.
“The 4IR is not in the future, it is the present. It is therefore imperative that the country reorganises itself to ensure citizens are positioned to benefit from the opportunities it presents. To achieve this, there must be clear accountability for implementing the recommendations within a timeframe that can be monitored by all stakeholders in society.”
The opportunity for SA
The PC4IR adds that Industry 4.0 is an opportunity for SA to stand itself into the broader African market. This opportunity aligns with the country’s long-term economic recovery plan.
“We recognise this moment as containing…the potential to use technology to address the most challenging development problems faced by South Africa and the rest of the continent. By supporting SMMEs to develop technology that will optimise the delivery of services in sectors such as health, education and transport, we can simultaneously enhance the wellbeing of our citizens and become globally competitive.”
Recommendations
First, the Commission recommends that SA invests in people (human capital) to help them acquire the skills to navigate 4IR.
“The purpose of the next version of our skills ecosystem will be to leapfrog our youth into productive work and reskill current workers for job retention and ongoing productive work in the economy…The skills demands of the 4IR era require stackable competencies, which are micro-credentialed, industry-aligned and allow people to enter and exit the system at multiple points as part of a lifelong learning process.”
Secondly, it recommends the creation of an artificial intelligence (AI) institute.
“[The AI Institute] will enable the generation of new knowledge and creative technology applications in sectors such as health, agriculture, education, energy, manufacturing, tourism and ICT, amongst others. The institute’s mandate should also include training, to be delivered across various sections of society, as well as ensuring positive social impact.”
The third recommendation is to develop a platform to help revive the country’s manufacturing sector.
“To be successful in the context of the 4IR, it is imperative that the manufacturing sector be supported by a state-led research initiative focused on advanced manufacturing and new materials.”
Recommendation four: the PC4IR endorses securing and availing data to culture innovation.
“The principal opportunity in the 4IR is the storage of large sums of data. Reliable, accurate, standardised, integrated and easily accessible citizen data is critical for building e-government services across sectors such as health, transport and justice…However, this opportunity must be safeguarded by securely organising public data through the bolstering of cyber security capacity and capabilities.”
Further recommendations include:
- incentivising future applications, platforms, and industries of 4IR technologies,
- building 4IR infrastructures, and
- amending, creating, and reviewing policy and legislation.
The final recommendation is that SA establishes an Industry 4.0 strategy implementation coordination council within the Presidency.
PC4IR
In 2018, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the creation of the PC4IR. Through the Commission, technologies would be used to elevate SA’s developmental agenda in line with Vision 2030.
The PC4IR consists of leaders from academia, business and civil society. It began its work in May 2019, combining research and stakeholder engagements to generate a comprehensive perspective of SA’s current conditions and prospects in the 4IR.
Since its inception, the PC4IR has discussed the opportunities that will enable the country to craft a shared 4IR future. It has also looked at the factors that prevent SA from moving forward.
These discussions have included international benchmarking. The intention is to gain insights into how PC4IR can provide a framework to position SA in the global 4IR landscape.
The PC4IR has also assessed the role of the state and pivotal institutions in leading and funding the work that will ensure success.
