Page 69 - Research & Innovation Report 2020
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES
“From here we need to assess the demand side. What demand is businesses in the ocean economy sector in order to increase
there for marine and maritime skills? There is no point training up the participation of working class and township businesses,
a whole cohort of young people who then have to look for work as well as comprehensive relevant skills and entrepreneurship
outside of this country.” development.
Prof Ncwadi says there is so much more that South Africa, and “Innovations are possible in this sector, including fisheries, coastal
the Eastern Cape in particular, can do all round to develop management, water desalination, ports and harbours, ship repair,
the marine and maritime sector, and to increase opportunities marine mining and manufacturing, marine biotechnology, marine
for the small business sector. He highlights areas that need robotics, and so on. We need to start implementing the big, fast-
to be closely investigated and rectified, including the ease of results methodology on which the Operation Phakisa Oceans
doing business, lending rates and access to capital for small Economy model is supposed to be based.”
“Projections that the oceans economy will grow
South Africa’s GDP by ±4.4%, as stated in 2014,
with the associated growth in jobs, have not
materialised. We are now in 2021 and instead of
growth we see a decline.”
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