Programme Director, 16 June 2014 marks the 38th anniversary of the Soweto uprising of 1976. This is the month in which young people braved all odds to fight for equal and quality education for all. As we celebrate Youth Month under the theme “Youth Moving South Africa Forward”; it is indeed our responsibility as Provincial Government and as citizens of South Africa to empower the youth and increase access of The Innovation Hub and The City of Tshwane services to a broader youth population that does not have background in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation. We need to foster a culture of innovation through a wider participation in the innovation eco-system by disadvantaged communities. By taking innovation to the community through eKasi labs, availability of Fablab and Kusile Mobile Science labs at The Innovation Hub, we are ensuring that the youth of this country are empowered with the skills in information and communication technology and are able to explore their creativity to enable them to participate in the future of our economy.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the official launch of our FabLab, the eKasi Labs and Kusile Mobile Science Labs, the programmes that seek to address youth empowerment to ensure that young people accessing the co-creation spaces can be able to undertake design, 3D printing and prototype manufacturing of their creations. I consider this occasion important as it fits well with the Gauteng Innovation and Knowledge Economy Strategy (“GIKES”) that seeks to improve the competitiveness of Gauteng, in particular a set of identified strategic sector (“Economic Competitiveness”):

• To promote the sustainable livelihood and quality of life of citizens within the Gauteng City Region (“Community-led Innovation”).

The above mandate is carried out by various agencies that are the implementation arms of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development and have the responsibility to implement government programmes in a prompt and effective manner.

Programme Director, the National Development Plan responsible for the developments in science and technology are fundamentally altering the way we live, connect, communicate and transact, with profound effects on economic growth and development. Furthermore, Science, Innovation, Technology and Engineering are key to equitable economic growth, because technological and scientific revolutions underpin economic advances and improvements in health systems, education and infrastructure. These labs will enable Gauteng’s youth to be more economically active. By taking innovation into the communities and making the mobile labs available for the youth we are ensuring that young South Africans, irrespective of gender and colour are becoming more geared to be future leaders of tomorrow.

In our journey to become a leading knowledge-economy in the continent we have to embrace and appreciate the value and opportunities presented by the Mobile Science Labs in the science, innovation and technology sector in our country. Knowledge on its own is simply a product, while a knowledge-based economy is an instrument which can be used extensively to produce economic benefits and to create jobs. The creation of knowledge can only be driven through a vigorous skills and capacity programme aimed at building human capital by government, private sector and communities to assist the Gauteng citizens to actively participate in the information and communication society and the knowledge-based economy. These labs will provide opportunities for the youth and will improve their lives for the better.

Ladies and gentlemen, FabLab, eKasi Labs and Kusile Mobile Science Lab are a mechanism for prototyping relevant youth innovations in Gauteng and together form pilot programme for the planned Youth Plug ‘n Play Centre that is aimed at processing, manufacturing and labelling centre bases at youth empowerment to ensure that young people will in future access a bigger to undertake design, 3D printing and prototype manufacturing. This centre is being piloted to firstly expose the youth of the city to technology that they do not ordinarily have access to. Secondly, we wish to creatively nurture these youths and expose them to a creative space that would foster inspiration and entrepreneurial skills.

As we celebrate this launch today, let us be reminded that a lot still needs to be done in the areas of information and communication technology, science, innovation and technology. As Provincial Government we are very mindful that youth development and empowerment does not only take place during Youth Month, but requires us to participate and bring opportunities to the youth every day.

It is pleasing to see The Innovation Hub collaborating with the City of Tshwane to take innovation in each region within its jurisdiction and also availability of mobile science labs to benefit Gauteng to increase ICT literacy, skills development and job creation. We are encouraged that through this partnership, we will be able to empower the youth of Gauteng and make them active participants in the areas of innovations and technology.
My sincere gratitude goes to the CEO of Kusile Mobile Science Labs, Mr Nkosi Maseko, The City of Tshwane Research and Innovation Department under the leadership of Ms Zukiswa Ncunyana, our agencies GGDA and The Innovation Hub. I thank you for your good work and determination to truly maintain Gauteng’s status as a smart province and a better place to live in.