4IR IN SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT
What is 4IR?
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) marks a new age of technological advancement that will strengthen partnerships between humans and computers, open new business markets, and accelerate development across the global economy ( https://www.getsmarter.com/blog/career-advice/the-4th-industrial-revolution-will-south-africa-be-ready-for-the-jobs-of-the-future/#:~:text=The%20Fourth%20Industrial%20Revolution%20(4IR,growth%20across%20the%20global%20economy.&text=In%20South%20Africa%2C%20various%20groups,steps%20to%20achieve%20its%20vision.
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“We have no choice but to look at how humans and machines will coexist for the benefit of humanity,” said by Deputy Minister of Communication Pinky Kekana at IBM addressing the tech industry to assist in creating a brighter future for South Africans (http://www.brainstormmag.co.za/technology/news/14587-4ir-must-benefit-all-south-africans ). People will behave well, because there will be cameras everywhere across the country, even those who rob others will now be under surveillance of cameras, even drivers on the road who drive beyond the speed limit will be brought to books. People will connect to each other faster and without any boundaries through social media. People can also be educated about everything and anywhere they are, through sources found online citizens are able to learn for themselves. Since people now have smartwatches or wristbands that follow our footsteps and sleeping routine, people will become better and even today, as the days go on, they will only get smarter and more common, which will help mitigate the too many people, too few doctor problems we have right now." Doctors and computing systems will help them track us outside hospitals in the near future to provide us with more comprehensive and holistic care. (https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/706/183281.html. )
South Africa’s readiness to 4IR
The Department of Higher Education and Training figures published in 2018 show how little focus is placed on technology. Across both public and private higher education institutions, which account for more than half of the post-school population in South Africa, the proportion of students enrolled in science, engineering, and technology programs was less than 30% of the overall enrolment. With just five percent of students studying in information technology and computer science programs, the figures were much smaller at professional and vocational education and training schools ( https://www.getsmarter.com/blog/career-advice/the-4th-industrial-revolution-will-south-africa-be-ready-for-the-jobs-of-the-future/#:~:text=The%20Fourth%20Industrial%20Revolution%20(4IR,growth%20across%20the%20global%20economy.&text=In%20South%20Africa%2C%20various%20groups,steps%20to%20achieve%20its%20vision. )
. The education system of South Africa lacks a technology focus, we experienced that during Covid-19 where universities were moving from a traditional way of delivering courses to online learning. Most universities couldn’t adapt fast to that change because they had to use money in developing capabilities that will enhance online learning. Some universities that managed to adapt took time to adapt to online learning. Given the infrastructure we have in South Africa, if we had to introduce electrical vehicles that will be charged, we need to build roads that will be suitable and also build charging stations which will cost the government fortunes of the amount of money that we do not have (https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/23/21451642/tesla-ev-electric-vehicle-energy-grid-battery-day-elon-musk. ). People will need to be equipped skill-wise so that they will be able to use these machines that will be introduced in the 4IR. Some people will be left in poverty and without jobs because of a lack of skills.
Challenges for South Africa in terms of 4IR
Due to deficiencies in its education system, South Africa has a severe skills deficit, which restricts the availability of administrators, researchers, and staff required for 4IR. Bad quality infrastructure challenges, representing poor governance and state capture, are also present. It has a poor record of policy formulation and execution, with significant delays in cybersecurity and data protection, especially across agencies ( https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02589346.2019.1696003?af=R#:~:text=South%20Africa%20has%20a%20significant,weak%20governance%20and%20state%20capture. ).
Opportunities for South Africa in terms of 4IR and in particular which of the technologies underpinning 4IR you feel has the most promise for South Africa
Care robots ("care bots") are now being built and can offer emotional support to those in need of care and help with activities such as getting out of bed. It will encourage people to live independently, more securely, for longer. A revitalized shared economy, with linked gadgets increasingly available on the basis of "borrowing" rather than "owning". As it would be simpler to track the depreciation and utilization of connected products, we expect a broader variety of businesses to offer services to the sharing economy in the future (https://www.smf.co.uk/publications/4ir-in-the-home/ ). Businesses will have opportunities to increase their profits based on how their customers like and dislikes. A big opportunity lies in the way we use information in a responsible fashion to solve problems. That means answering the questions of big business: how do you raise profits and improve sales? How do we minimize friction and smooth our approach to risk-making from automated processes?. (https://mg.co.za/article/2019-10-18-00-the-real-opportunities-of-4ir-for-south-african-businesses/ )
