Latest news with #AfricanEconomies
Zawya
27-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Integrating technical solutions with ESG to advance modern African economies
Good technical solutions lie at the heart of mining and industrial projects that are advancing modern African economies. Good technical solutions lie at the heart of mining and industrial projects that are advancing modern African economies says Andrew van Zyl, managing director of SRK Consulting (South Africa) This is according to Andrew van Zyl, managing director of SRK Consulting (South Africa), who emphasises the alignment with global standards as key to helping clients reach and maintain the highest level of performance and best practice in their operations. Africa Day (Sunday, 25 May) highlights the importance of building resilient economies for social transformation, and the nurturing of consulting engineering expertise across various disciplines will be vital to paving a path to inclusive growth. Evolving regulations 'Technical excellence and high standards rely on experienced and multidisciplinary teams of professionals who can deliver integrity, independence and rigour in their work.' 'When delivering good technical solutions, it is also crucial to consider the regulatory and community context, as these increasingly impact the final result,' he says. He notes, for instance, that a common theme in the industry is the rapidly evolving regulations relating to water, environment, sustainability and governance factors - including the rapid evolution of voluntary and compulsory reporting and requirements and the need for compliance and alignment. Companies like SRK are frequently involved in helping clients to update themselves on these requirements, and to apply them to planned projects to ensure alignment and compliance. Avoiding fatal flaws 'This invariably means the early involvement of environmental, social and governance (ESG) specialists who can work in close collaboration with various technical disciplines,' he explains. 'This lays the foundations for smooth and predictable permitting, so that projects can stay on schedule and avoid fatal flaws.' He points out that most of Africa's leading companies have ambitious sustainability targets, further reinforcing the need for multidisciplinary teams to include ESG professionals to ensure that technical solutions integrate with a range of sustainability concerns. Climate change 'Clients must also be able to monitor and measure their operations and interventions,' he says. 'With the application of digital and other technologies, consulting engineers are playing an important role in helping clients to gather relevant data and to use it to drive their sustainability agendas.' Climate change considerations are being factored into projects right from the design stage, so that future environmental conditions can be modelled and designs adjusted appropriately. There have been growing numbers of high rainfall events in South Africa, for example, which place additional strain on infrastructure. Professional platforms To foster the necessary expertise for high quality projects, professionals in various engineering and scientific disciplines are not only passing on their experience to younger entrants but are building their institutions for the good of broader society. Being a company of professional natural scientists and engineers, SRK Consulting (SA) belongs to various industry and professional bodies and contributes to the overall practice of the different professions. 'We are involved on the council of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, for instance, as well as on the committees that manage the SAMREC and SAMVAL reporting codes and bodies such as the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA),' he says. 'We encourage our staff to get involved in professional organisations and events, especially knowledge sharing through talks and conferences. 'Through being active members of these bodies, we can help keep them relevant to industry needs through ongoing innovation and raising professional standards.' Helping standards evolve By promoting standards through its ongoing project work, SRK Consulting (SA) has been part of the process of guiding the practical application and evolution of standards. In terms of aspects such as reporting standards, its close collaboration with the relevant bodies means that it has a good understanding of how to apply these standards. This allows the company's professionals to provide important feedback from the market on how to keep requirements manageable and realistic. 'An interesting aspect of our work is that it often has not only a local component but a regional or even multi-national component,' he says. 'A mining project in the DRC will be driven by our Lubumbashi office but may draw in specialists from South Africa or Ghana. 'Where the owner of the project is based in China, our work may also involve experts from one of our offices in China.' Quality design Van Zyl acknowledges that there is considerable change and uncertainty in the market currently, but he highlighted that good engineering design underpins every successful project. Such design quality ensures cost-effective solutions that reduce waste and minimise risk to communities and staff. 'These factors remain a priority for clients throughout Africa, irrespective of the prevailing economic, social and political climate,' he says.
Mail & Guardian
21-05-2025
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
The Global Fund has just made history – now it must start a revolution
HIV treatment has, for the first time, been made in Africa. On 6 May 2025, a quiet revolution took place. The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced it had, for the first time in its history, For many outside Africa, this might seem like a footnote in global health procurement logistics. For us on the continent, it is nothing short of history. It's a symbolic and literal act of African solidarity, scientific excellence and economic assertion. Africa is standing up and saying: 'We will no longer be the last in line for our own survival; we are the source of our own solutions.' This is not just about pills in blister packs. It is about power, ownership and self-determination in a world where Africa has too often been positioned as a passive recipient of generosity rather than a co-architect of its future. We are on the cusp of a new era, one where African science, African economies and African futures are not afterthoughts in the global health agenda, but drivers of it. From political independence to pharmaceutical liberation Sixty years after many African nations won political independence, the continent is still shackled in economic and technological dependency. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the pharmaceutical sector. Despite bearing the highest burden of HIV globally, Africa has historically relied on imports for between More than 25 million Africans are living with HIV. Many rely on daily antiretroviral therapy to survive. Ensuring consistent, affordable and sovereign access to these treatments is not optional, it is urgent. But this moment also has implications beyond HIV. It can catalyse African manufacturing in drugs for TB, malaria and non-communicable diseases, vaccines and its pandemic preparedness. The Global Fund's procurement is the first stone in what could be a continental avalanche of pharmaceutical innovation and a positive step towards the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's goal to produce 60% of vaccine needs domestically by 2040 through the From an economic perspective, this move could reshape access to medicines. The benefits of local pharmaceutical production are well-documented but rarely supported at the scale required. Jobs, cost savings and resilience to health shocks When medicines are imported, African governments pay not only for the product but also for shipping, import duties and the often-exploitative pricing structures of external manufacturers. Local production, when scaled, African manufacturers are more likely to understand the price sensitivities of their domestic markets, making them natural allies in the fight for affordable treatment. When Africa produces at scale, we negotiate from strength. A diversified supply landscape A robust pharmaceutical sector means more than factories, it means engineers, scientists, quality-assurance professionals, logisticians and educators. It builds a value chain that uplifts entire communities and redirects millions in procurement spend into local economies. The ripple effect is massive: GDP growth, regional trade and reduced foreign currency outflows. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of international medical supply chains. African countries were left scrambling for vaccines, oxygen and personal protective equipment. By strengthening domestic pharmaceutical capacity, we insulate our public health systems from geopolitical shocks and ensure more consistent access to life-saving drugs. Four steps to secure systemic change This procurement cannot remain an isolated incident, a singular success trotted out at conferences and summits. It must spark a movement. A revolution in how global health actors approach access, equity and economic justice in Africa. Here's what must happen next: 1. Global Fund must make local procurement a permanent policy. The fund and other major donors, such as Unitaid, must make local sourcing of commodities a default, not a deviation. Pepfar (before Trump got hold of it) was leading the way, aiming for 70% of its funding to go to local partners, but medicines and vaccines were still largely imported. Policies must be put in place to favour regional production when quality and cost-effectiveness are assured. The success in Kenya should lead to similar procurement from South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, all of which have growing pharmaceutical capabilities. 2. It is time for African governments to move from rhetoric to investment. Local businesses cannot thrive without local demand. Tax incentives, infrastructure support and subsidies for research and development must be mobilised to grow local pharmaceutical industries. More importantly, governments must commit to procuring from African manufacturers, not only for export, but for national programmes. 3. Regional collaboration must replace national silos. The African Medicines Agency, operated by the AU, must fast-track regional regulatory harmonisation. This will allow a medicine approved in one country to move freely across borders, removing duplication and accelerating access. A thriving continental pharmaceutical market is only possible if we dismantle bureaucratic barriers. 4. Civil society must hold all stakeholders accountable. We, the people, cannot afford to be passive in this process. Civil society must monitor procurement decisions, expose backroom deals that favour multinationals and demand transparency in donor policies. Every dollar spent outside Africa, when there is a qualified African supplier is not just lost income, is a political betrayal We are the generations of return For centuries, Africa has been mined for its resources, such as gold, diamonds and rubber. Now, the world mines the continent for data, clinical-trial volunteers and intellectual labour. But we are the generations of return. We are bringing back sovereignty to our laboratories, dignity to our procurement systems and power to our people. This procurement by the Global Fund must be remembered not just as the first time an African-made HIV treatment was purchased, but as the last time it was considered unusual. It is the beginning of something long overdue — a health system made by us, for us, accountable to us. The symbolism is rich. The politics are radical. The economics are clear. Let the rest of the world catch up. Tian Johnson is the founder and strategist of the African Alliance, a pan-African health justice advocacy group.
