Science, technology and innovation must never be understood as for the specialized elite divorced from society that it finds itself. - Trusty Gina

As part of this gender commitment, we will be intentional about women in science, technology and innovation. In this regard – Chairperson – allow me to recognize my special guest, Miss Senamile Masango, a Nuclear scientist, an alumni of the European organization for Nuclear Research called CERN, Non-Executive Board Director at SA Nuclear corporation called NECSA. She empowers women in the engineering and science field.

Opportunities and challenges include persistently high levels of poverty and unemployment; the fact that our society remains one of the most unequal in the world; governance challenges, a maturing democracy, demographic shifts including a youth dividend, high-levels of crime including unacceptably high levels of gender-based violence. The above will be achieved through the establishment of National Research Institutes.

Chairperson, our biggest aim is to strengthen actions targeting critical structural opportunities and challenges facing South African society that require data, research, thought leadership and policy experimentation.