Keynote speaker at the Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) conference in Limpopo during November 2014, Minister Thulas Nxesi of the Department of Public Works, said he believes that “Government cannot deliver the National Development Plan (NDP) alone.
It is incumbent on the engineering fraternity to assist Government in delivering the priorities of the NDP and it is clear that engineering underpins these priorities.”
He stated that the CESA conference came at a time when the sector is grappling with the challenges of infrastructure delivery and that efficient and effective procurement is central to government priorities. He felt that sustainable engineering should lead to sustainable development resulting in a green economy.
The CESA conference theme was “Together Sustaining Engineering – Delivering NDP Priorities”. Representation from the Department of Public Works, Transnet, Eskom, SANRAL, DBSA, cidb, the Department of Higher Education, ECSA, IMESA and Corruption Watch as well as CESA member firms, ensured lively panel discussions and plenty of opportunity to debate the key issues driving the NDP.
Government through the NDP has identified infrastructure development as key to the socio-economic development of the country.
The Consulting Engineering Industry has a large multiplier effect on the development of the infrastructure as consulting engineers are the designers who create the large-scale infrastructure projects that employ substantial numbers of people during the construction, operation and maintenance phases.
Key topics at the conference included:
• Infrastructure investment
• Creating a conducive and transformational environment for procurement
• The role of education in addressing sectoral lack of capacity
• Promoting work opportunities for SMME’s
CESA believes that discussions and resolutions taken at this important conference are imperative in unlocking the mechanisms to help the various disciplines meet the challenges of ensuring quality outcomes, building the economy and creating and sustaining a better South Africa.
The principle of the Government achieving its developmental objectives through the Private sector was emphasised by CESA’s CEO who also made a clarion call for private sector companies to endeavour to include the Government and the NDP goals in setting their corporate strategies. This would ensure that there is a meeting of minds between Government and Business.
Copies of the presentations delivered at the conference are available at http://www.cesa.co.za/node/474.
