'Get South Africa Thriving'
Forbes Woman Africa|June/August 2018

As South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education and Training, Naledi Pandor is on course to ensure the country’s institutions are geared for the fourth industrial revolution and will generate professionals ready to create enterprises that will employ others.

Godfrey Mutizwa
'Get South Africa Thriving'
IF NALEDI PANDOR HAS HER WAY, an overhaul of South Africa’s higher learning system is on the cards, transforming its institutions into enterprise creators and the vanguard of the country’s march into the fourth industrial revolution.

Two months into her second tenure in education which now includes skills training, Pandor has become a student again as she seeks to understand the forces leaving many of the country’s children unemployable. In her austere office in the Central Business District of South Africa’s capital Tshwane, Pandor, 64, speaks with the enthusiasm of a pioneer.

“We tend to be one-dimensional in our thinking that a qualification will lead to a job and so in speaking to young people, I have been saying more and more that I want to hear about the people that you are going to employ. I want to hear about the enterprise you want to create. I am less interested in hearing about who is going to employ you,’’ she says.

Conversations have already started with the colleges, universities and private sector associations on improving the higher education curriculum and coordinating the country’s drive to be more competitive as the fourth industrial revolution transforms industries and economies, threatening to widen the gap between developing and developed nations.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), very few developing countries are paying attention to the impact of technological advances associated with the fourth industrial revolution, which have the potential to widen the divide between rich and poor nations by worsening unemployment, increasing the concentration of economic power and wealth and spreading biases in influential algorithms.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June/August 2018 من Forbes Woman Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June/August 2018 من Forbes Woman Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من FORBES WOMAN AFRICA مشاهدة الكل
Well-Grounded
Forbes Woman Africa

Well-Grounded

Coco Cachalia, whose mother Amina was among the 20,000 in the Women’s March of August 1956, made a decision to stay away from politics – and succeed in business instead.

time-read
3 mins  |
August-September 2017
Art Becomes Her
Forbes Woman Africa

Art Becomes Her

A celebrated international fine artist, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi overcame the struggles of apartheid, and her work is grounded in her past.

time-read
3 mins  |
August-September 2017
'Not Just Pro-Women But Pro-Progress'
Forbes Woman Africa

'Not Just Pro-Women But Pro-Progress'

South Africa’s Minister of Women Susan Shabangu on the significance of the 61st anniversary of Women’s Day, and the role men can play in ending gender violence in South Africa and creating an equal society.

time-read
6 mins  |
August-September 2017
Diversity And Inclusion Are Part Of Baker Mckenzie's DNA
Forbes Woman Africa

Diversity And Inclusion Are Part Of Baker Mckenzie's DNA

According to Law360’s 2017 Glass Ceiling Report, women make up around one-third of the attorneys in private legal practice. Among the law firms surveyed, just below 23% of partners are female.

time-read
3 mins  |
August-September 2017
We, Men For Women
Forbes Woman Africa

We, Men For Women

South Africa still has a long way to go for gender justice in business and in life, but with more men openly stepping forward to be a part of the discourse, FORBES WOMAN AFRICA speaks to two male entrepreneurs, a CEO and a social activist. They acknowledge diversity makes smart social and economic sense that will benefit all.

time-read
10+ mins  |
August-September 2017
What, After All, Does Feminism Have To Do With Men?
Forbes Woman Africa

What, After All, Does Feminism Have To Do With Men?

According to the seminal African-American writer bell hooks (her name is not capitalized), feminism is for everybody.

time-read
3 mins  |
August-September 2017
Blood, Setbacks And Tears
Forbes Woman Africa

Blood, Setbacks And Tears

Two sisters with common failures and a dream to eventually succeed.

time-read
2 mins  |
August-September 2017
Fighting To The End
Forbes Woman Africa

Fighting To The End

In May, 82 more Chibok girls were released in exchange for Boko Haram prisoners. Oby Ezekwesili, a strong advocate in the campaign to bring them back, has vowed to never stop fighting. 

time-read
2 mins  |
June-July 2017
Not Just Hard Work, But Heart Work
Forbes Woman Africa

Not Just Hard Work, But Heart Work

As incidents of gender-based violence increase in Africa, those like Nigeria’s Kemi Dasilva-Ibru, are trying to bring relief to stigmatized victims.

time-read
5 mins  |
June-July 2017
Going Down The Spice Route
Forbes Woman Africa

Going Down The Spice Route

Essie Bartels worked several odd jobs she hated before opening a company selling mouth-watering spices and sentiments to the world.

time-read
4 mins  |
June-July 2017