Pretoria - The signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Gauteng provincial government and the Tshwane University of Technology yesterday is a step in the right direction to collaborative efforts aimed at opening up the economy and creating jobs.
This was the sentiment shared by Premier David Makhura during his visit to the university’s research and innovation centres, technology stations and institutes at its Soshanguve and Pretoria campuses.
The visit formed part of the provincial government’s efforts to accelerate and support Information and Communications technology (ICT) and the Fourth Industrial Revolution initiatives to transform Gauteng into a globally competitive city region.
Makhura witnessed first-hand how TUT's Advanced Institute for Tooling at its Soshanguve campus made plastic parts for the automotive sector, and observed work at the institution’s centre for tissue engineering at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Pretoria main campus.
“We saw some of the exciting things.
“They do some work for the automotive industry. We started at the centre for tissue engineering.
“They are going to do work with our Department of Health because that work is very relevant to our healthcare system,” he said.
He said the memorandum of understanding between the two parties focused on areas such as training, research and development, and innovation.
“And this is linked to our Township Economic Development Act that we have signed into law.
“But it is also linked to our special economic zones and the 10 high growth sectors in our province,” Makhura said.
He expressed excitement about the partnership with the institution, adding that the government was on a mission to forge relationships with other universities.
“This is the second university we are engaging this year.
“We have done the same with the University of Johannesburg,” he said.
He hailed the work done by TUT, saying it had “a programme where they support emerging small businesses, black industrialists and businesses owned by women and youth”.
Pretoria News