by THEMBAKAZI SITHOLE
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa can build a globally competitive innovation economy and strengthen Africa’s pharmaceutical sovereignty only through sustained public-private partnerships that connect scientific research with industrialisation, manufacturing and long-term investment, speakers agreed at the inaugural Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) Public Lecture in Johannesburg.
Hosted by the ST&I Business Forum under the theme, “A Public-Private Partnership Model for Science and Innovation,” the event brought together government leaders, academics, researchers, policymakers and business executives to examine how collaboration can transform scientific excellence into inclusive economic growth.
The programme was directed by Dr Nomhle Ngwenya, Chief Executive Officer of the ST&I Business Forum.
Delivering the international perspective, Lena Miranda, Chief Executive Officer of Linköping Science Park in Sweden and Immediate Past President of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), said successful innovation ecosystems are built on confidence created by strategic public investment.
“Private investment rarely comes first,” she said. “It follows confidence in institutions, people and long-term political commitment.”
Drawing on Sweden’s experience, Miranda said decades of investment in education, research, infrastructure and strategic procurement had enabled the country to develop globally competitive industries.
She urged South Africa to strengthen its science parks, special economic zones and research institutions while investing in people and ensuring policy certainty.
Dr Sybil Seoka, Founder and Managing Director of Ample Resources (Pty) Ltd and Chairperson of the PPS Holdings Trust, said innovation should ultimately improve lives, strengthen institutions and create opportunities rather than exist for its own sake.
“Good ideas alone do not transform societies. Research alone does not create prosperity,” she said. “Innovation delivers impact when knowledge, capability, leadership and implementation are aligned around communities.”
She argued that effective partnerships require the combined efforts of government, academia, industry and civil society, with each contributing policy leadership, research, commercialisation and public accountability.
Using healthcare as an example, Seoka said collaboration had already demonstrated its value through initiatives such as local vaccine manufacturing and technology transfer.
However, she warned that delayed payments to medical technology suppliers continue to undermine innovation by diverting resources away from research and product development.
She also called for regulatory systems that provide certainty for investors while accelerating harmonisation across Africa to improve market access for innovative products.
Dr Stavros Nicolaou, Group Senior Executive for Strategic Trade at Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, said innovation must be accompanied by industrialisation and advanced manufacturing if Africa is to reduce its dependence on imported medicines.
“In South Africa, innovation, industrialisation and manufacturing are inseparable. They must develop together,” he said.
Reflecting on Aspen’s growth into Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, Nicolaou said South African companies had repeatedly demonstrated they could compete globally despite limited resources.
He urged governments to use public procurement strategically to support local manufacturing, create skilled jobs and stimulate exports.
He also called for faster regulatory harmonisation across the continent, reforms to international procurement systems that favour African manufacturers, and technology transfer partnerships that build lasting local production capacity rather than simply licensing products.
Although the speakers addressed different aspects of science and innovation, they shared a common message that sustained collaboration between government, business, academia and society is essential for long-term development.
They agreed that South Africa possesses the scientific talent, institutional foundations and entrepreneurial potential to become a leading innovation economy, provided investment remains consistent and partnerships remain strong.
The forum concluded that translating scientific excellence into commercial success, industrial capability and societal benefit will require coordinated leadership, trusted institutions and a long-term commitment to innovation that creates jobs, strengthens competitiveness and improves lives across South Africa and the wider African continent.
– CAJ News