Rayhaan Survé, the deputy chairman of Sekunjalo Investment Holdings (SIH) and the Survé Family Office, said in an interview on Thursday that the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2025 presents great opportunities to engage global leaders and learn new technologies to benefit South Africa.
Survé will participate in WEF, which is expected to take place from 20 to 24 January next week in Switzerland. In an interview with Business Report, Survé also highlighted the importance of growing young entrepreneurs in South Africa and addressing climate change.
A hub for global ideas
Survé said that WEF is an incredible gathering of amazing minds around the world, and he is always humbled to be a part of it. “I've had the experience of the economic forum over the last few years, and it's always been such an amazing experience. The reason is that you're bringing together people who are industry leaders, regional leaders, some of whom are presidents, and some of whom are CEOs. Some are focused on running the largest impact organisations in the world. Simply being in that environment is absolutely incredible."
Survé added that his expectation for WEF is to engage and find common ground with global leaders on challenges and inequalities that impact the world. “I feel it is crucial for South Africa to participate in events such as the World Economic Forum. We are facing high youth unemployment numbers in South Africa. WEF is vital to our success both on the continent and globally because the whole ethos there is that you learn and take back to your country in order to do better."
South Africa’s role in WEF
Survé said that for South Africans, participating in the event is an incredible opportunity because we gain the latest understanding of technologies. “We gain the latest understanding of global trends, bring that back to South Africa, and leapfrog many of the challenges we're facing with solutions that are happening in other parts of the world, whether in the Western world or in Asia.”
Survé added that using AI technology could be crucial in addressing youth unemployment in South Africa. "We're going through this fundamental shift in the world at the moment with the disruption of AI and technology. The ones that are going to be able to capitalise on that shift are most definitely going to be the youth. In South Africa, we have such a highly educated population and such a capability for understanding technologies and innovating. You look at Cape Town and see how much entrepreneurial activity there is. You go to Joburg and see the same. It's also the inherent nature of South Africans to jump into new industries, look at new technologies, and learn very quickly.”
Embracing AI and technological advancements
Survé said that AI and technological change are happening in the world and represent an opportunity for our youth to take advantage of by upskilling in that field. More specifically, it's about understanding how to bring those technologies and localise them in South Africa.
Survé added that last year the world exceeded the world climate target of 1.5 degrees. “I believe there needs to be a focus on climate, sustainable industry development, and investment. This again is an area where South Africa has a very strong role to play because we have so many resources and so much capability to become world leaders in these industries. It’s not only on the actual energy generation side; there’s so much solar, wind, and hydro potential, as well as nuclear.
“But also in terms of sustainable industries such as food and aquaculture. Of course, working with surrounding African countries, if you look at Lake Victoria and the support they can provide for creating sustainable food sources for Africa, it’s incredible. I think this really needs to be another focus this year, and the growth of that industry will be vital for Africa."
Focus on climate change and sustainable industries
Survé said it is a bit concerning that there has been a move away from climate focus and more towards economic development globally. "That's something that also makes me quite sad to see. But at the same time, I think there are a lot of people who are building out new climate solutions. I was in China previously at the WEF Summer Davos event, and there was a big focus on the climate aspect and how to really revolutionise industries towards more climate-friendly mechanisms and methods.”
Survé added that he doesn’t think there is a simple solution that will resolve climate change. “It really is about making micro changes in our industries and slowly moving towards sustainability. Because you can't expect things to just change in one instant. And I think this is what the World Economic Forum is about.”
Survé said that he believes entrepreneurship among youth is also key to addressing unemployment. “I think that entrepreneurship is key to self-empowerment and innovation in dealing with these global issues. It’s key to addressing our own local issues as well. It’s very difficult to be an entrepreneur in the traditional sense. However, I don't think that entrepreneurship should be limited to going out and starting your own business. The most important thing about entrepreneurship is helping people understand what it means to think entrepreneurially.”
This means taking problems, breaking them down, and thinking about solutions in any context. “This is one of the most important things that I learned while studying in Boston, America. I was able to take that back to South Africa and share the knowledge because when you think entrepreneurially, you stop limiting yourself to what's known and start thinking about what should be happening.”
Survé said he believes entrepreneurial skills can be used in corporate jobs. “I think that's one of the most powerful things to do because you can do that in any setting. Whether you're working in a corporate job and you run into a big problem, you look through the corporate playbook and don’t find your answer. Then you step back and start to think about what else you could do, how to break this problem down, and how to look at this from an entrepreneurial perspective. You may even come up with a new method or solution.”
Survé added that he would personally love to assist in helping South African youth from high school, maybe even earlier, to start developing that entrepreneurial mindset that will really help them in the future. “We, as the Survé family, are partnering with two European organisations for separate programmes. We will firstly target high school and then university students, assisting by providing multiple platforms to grow entrepreneurship skills in South Africa, and we hope to extend it beyond the borders of South Africa.”
BUSINESS REPORT