NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Nearly a third of South Africa’s population is under the age of 14. As things stand, their future is uncertain. The economy is stagnant, the political landscape is shifting, and unemployment is at a record high.

It’s possible to turn all that around, but doing so means equipping young people with skills beyond those found in the schooling system creating an environment which doesn’t just see entrepreneurship and innovation as viable options, but as necessities.

There was the consensus of a panel on driving innovation among South Africa’s young people at a Road to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit held at Cape Town’s Workshop 17 on Monday.

The panelists should know what they’re talking about too. CodeX‘s Elizabeth Gould, RLabs‘  Marlon Parker, nnfinity‘s Nwabisa Mayema, Code4CT‘s Emma Jane Dicks, and FixForward‘s Josh Cox have all dedicated themselves to using technology to fuel entrepreneurship and innovation in the country.