Deputy Minister Gina leads Parliament’s briefing on youth-led innovation

The DM is featured here with TIA Board Chairperson Mr Loyiso Tyira,

The Deputy Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Nomalungelo Gina led a high-level briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation in Parliament this week, focusing on national efforts to support and scale youth-led innovation across South Africa.

The session brought together leadership from the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), including DSTI Acting Director-General Ms Gugulethu Zwane, TIA Board Chairperson Mr Loyiso Tyira, and Acting CEO Mr Ismail Abdoola.

“Young people are growing up in a technology-driven era. It is our responsibility to prepare the youth with requisite skills for a future that is already here,” said Deputy Minister Gina.

Dr Gina said South Africa needs to promote a culture of innovation. And that culture will be driven by the youthful population. While progress is being made, there is always a need for the government to step up the resolve to have science, technology and innovation accessible to all.

“Technology can bring government closer to citizens, allowing for greater transparency, accountability and efficiencies in public administration,” she said, adding that the government committed to ensuring support through science, technology and innovation.

“This, we will achieve by ensuring that we continue to facilitate the adoption of policies conducive to the development of science, technology and innovations,” Dr Gina added. .

TIA supports youth participation in innovation through a combination of funding and non-financial interventions. It implements several programmes on behalf of DSTI, including Living Labs, the Grassroots Innovation Programme, and the Technology Acquisition and Deployment Fund. The full range of support includes funding, skills development, access to innovation infrastructure and technology development support

Key Highlights from the Session

• 500+ Youth Innovators Supported: Through various programmes which target youth aged between 18 and 35 across urban and rural areas.
• Four Youth Segments Served: Including university students, TVET learners, unemployed graduates, and informal innovators.
• National and Rural Reach: YTIP is targeting skills development in underserved provinces in TVET colleges and higher education institutions and competitions across provinces.
• Innovation Fund Momentum: DSTI and TIA are scaling access to venture funding through a R300 million High-Impact Seed Fund-of-Funds, focused on de-risking early-stage tech start-ups.
• Addressing Unemployment: Youth (15 - 35) make up 36% of South Africa’s population yet remain disproportionately affected by joblessness. These innovative programmes aim to close that gap.

The session featured several youth TIA has funded, such as Gugulethu Mahlangu, whose company House Harvest – pioneers sustainable aquaponics systems that integrate indigenous crops, aquaculture, and insect farming.  The agri-tech company focuses on food, energy, and water solutions tailored for African contexts, offering a circular economy approach to agriculture.

“My journey began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when I founded House Harvest to address food insecurity using sustainable farming systems. I bootstrapped the early stages and later joined various innovation ecosystems that provided vital support,” said the BSc Agricultural Sciences graduate.

This technology addresses challenges such as food insecurity, water scarcity, high input costs in farming, and a lack of sustainable protein sources for both human and animal consumption. It also supports mine rehabilitation and urban agriculture.

*“*We must catch young scientists very early and promote a culture of entrepreneurship, not consumption,” said Deputy Minister Gina.

The DM is featured here with TIA Board Chairperson Mr Loyiso Tyira, Acting CEO Mr Ismail Abdoola, and Manager for Skills Development at TIA, Dr Anitha Ramsuran

On the right is Gugulethu Mahlangu, of House Harvest which pioneers sustainable aquaponics systems that integrate indigenous crops, aquaculture, and insect farming.  The agri-tech company focuses on food, energy, and water solutions tailored for African contexts, offering a circular economy approach to agriculture.

For more info on DSTI and TIA youth initiatives, visit:
🔗 www.dsti.gov.za | 🔗 www.tia.org.za