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PROFILE : My journey to Professional Registration - Innocent Gininda

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Innocent Gininda shares his journey to becoming a registered Professional Engineer (PrEng), emphasizing the importance of mentorship, early preparation, and understanding ECSA requirements. He offers advice to aspiring PrEngs, highlighting the value of diverse feedback and a positive mindset. My journey to becoming a registered Professional Engineer (PrEng) culminated successfully in November 2024. I was fortunate to begin my career at a company with a Commitment and Undertaking (C&U) Agreement with ECSA and a robust mentorship program. This commitment to training engineers to the standard required for Professional Registration provided me with essential resources and a structured path to track my experience against ECSA requirements. Early exposure to these expectations instilled a positive outlook on registration and solidified my desire to achieve this milestone. My views on Professional Registration have remained consistently positive throughout this journey. Working alongside ...
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COMMENTARY : SA not investing enough in innovation on infrastructure development

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Underinvestment in R&D in South Africa's infrastructure sector has hindered the development of innovation capacity, leading to missed opportunities.


According to Siseko Maposa South Africa faces challenges in developing innovative solutions for its infrastructure and construction industry, and in addressing questions about what and how to build. One indicator is the lack of prioritization of financing for innovation.

Innovation plays a crucial role in supporting critical growth properties. Public and private sector players need to support and fund research and development (R&D) initiatives to enhance innovation capacity.

There is a strong academic consensus on the positive effects of increased R&D expenditure on infrastructural development. These include better project conceptualization, development, implementation, and management, the creation of cost-efficient materials, identification of technological advancements in construction processes, and the development of efficient methods, tools, and equipment.

The positive impacts of R&D expenditure on infrastructure development are well-documented. For example, in China, which spent 2.3% of its GDP on R&D in 2020, government-initiated R&D subsidies for corporate companies led to technological upgrading, capital deepening, and economic growth in the infrastructure industry.

Improvements in finance for innovation will support South Africa's need for future-proofing infrastructure to generate climate resilience. The country's critical infrastructure, such as water, bridges, roads, and rail, shows low levels of climate resilience, making many parts susceptible to failure during natural disasters.

Financing for innovation can also drive sectoral development by generating disruptive technologies that increase competitiveness and force companies to improve their processes. This is crucial for South Africa, considering the current state of companies operating in the sector. Small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) conduct a significant majority of activities in South Africa's built environment and generate up to 80% of jobs in the sector.

This commentary was written by Siseko Maposa who is  the director of Surgetower Associates, the full article can be read on IOL, follow our WhatsApp channel here for more hardhatCOMMENTARIES.

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