In an interview with AfricaLive, the CEO of the Engineering Council of South Africa, Dr Bridget Ssamula, has set out an ambitious vision for the engineering sector leading South Africa towards a greener and more prosperous future.
Highlighting South African industry’s ability to front up against challenges, Dr Ssamula stated “We are now at a place where moving towards a green economy is the only way to go.
“One of the interesting things I noticed when I came to South Africa 22 years ago was how resilient it was in all sectors. It was a place where the people were resilient enough to find unique ways to survive on their own.
“Aside from the global issues, our local problems have made our engineers very agile. They can work in unique environments with specific problems like water scarcity and have the ability to create unique solutions and products.”
“Adversity is our mainstay as engineers. We are trained to look for problems and find ways to solve them. South Africa’s challenges help tone our abilities”
As researchers and scientists across Africa have worked to find sustainable solutions to the impact of building and maintaining infrastructure, many have started to question the will of industry leaders to embrace climate solutions.
Dr Ssamula has stated partnerships are key to building the African economy of tomorrow and wishes to see further collaboration between the industry and universities, stating “Creating solutions that are truly applicable within our work environment will need strong partnerships between academia and research. It’s great to see the partnerships that exist between South African universities and big companies.”
