At the recent SAIMC Zambian branch annual banquet at Kitwe’s Edinburgh Hotel, keynote speaker Oratile Sematle (then-President of the SAIMC) said with more investment in technologies, countries like Zambia should not be shipping out raw copper, but adding a beneficiation process.
Oratile went on to say: “People think that when we automate, jobs will be lost, but there will be a chain reaction in other areas when we automate the production of goods and services. We should not depend on foreign products, but create our own as African countries.”
Oratile said lack of collaboration between engineers and policymakers was the reason Africa was lagging behind in deploying home-grown technologies.
“We need to address the lack of communication between politicians and industry. There is a need to add value to copper through beneficiation, rather than just exporting the raw material,” he added.
He called on African countries to prepare for a knowledge generation and develop technologies that could be replicated in other destinations.
Dignitaries and committee members attending the banquet: Minister of Transport & Communications, Honourable Mr Brian Mushiba (sixth from left); Branch Chairman, Zambia, Enock Shikabeta, (fifth from left) and then-President of the SAIMC, Oratile Samatle (fifth from right).
The banquet was attended by representatives from various industries where the Zambian chapter draws its membership.
SAIMC Zambia chapter President Enoch Shikabeta said the organisation would continue working with government to create a knowledge-based economy.
Durban branch
SAIMC
At the Durban branch of the SAIMC held in October, Mitch Naidoo took the attendees on an interesting journey on Asset Health Management: Tracking The Pulse Of Your Plant.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
At the Durban branch of the SAIMC held in October, Mitch Naidoo took the attendees on an interesting journey on Asset Health Management: Tracking The Pulse Of Your Plant.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg Branch technical evening was hosted by Proconics Advanced Solutions. The topic of the session was ‘Turning Big 3D Data into Actionable Engineering Insights – Challenges and Smart Solutions’.
Read more...SAIMC User Advisory Council Annual Summit 2025 SAIMC
SAIMC
October 2025 marked a pivotal moment for the South African automation and manufacturing community as the SAIMC User Advisory Council hosted its first annual summit under the SAIMC banner.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg
SAIMC
The Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC hosted a successful Technology Evening on 10 September. The event was well attended and generously sponsored by Phoenix Contact.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
At SAIMC Durban’s October Technology Evening, Nico Erasmus delivered a thought-provoking presentation on a topic close to every automation professional’s heart: PLC and Drive Manufacturer Generational Hardware - UpGrades, UpGates or UpRates?
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC hosted a successful Technology Evening on 10 September. The event was well attended and generously sponsored by Phoenix Contact.
Read more...Why ECSA matters SAIMC
SAIMC
I always knew I had to register as a Professional Engineer. Then I opened the registration guidelines.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version