CESA CEO’s Comment
Dare to dream, and make it happen
Chris Campbell, CEO, CESA
O
n an annual basis, the CESA
Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements
been a spike in wasteful expenditure,
Aon Engineering Excellence
– all areas in need of urgent attention.
and the maladministration of funds.
We must all support SIDSSA and
Targeted infrastructure execution has
allied initiatives, like government’s
also been hampered by the technical
South African engineering. This year, the
Infrastructure Fund, since they serve as
skills gaps within the public sector,
key difference is the use of a live virtual
catalysts for positive change that, when
further complicated by ineffective
platform to communicate the results in
implemented, will transform our socio-
procurement processes.
response to Covid-19. The advantage of this
economic landscape, creating sustainable
is that we can share the excitement of the
employment and enabling families to
but the change will only happen if we
event with a much broader audience within
prepare and transition their children
can engage and come together with a
South Africa, Africa and worldwide.
to a world after the Fourth Industrial
common purpose. As CESA, we are part of
Revolution. Our hope is that many will
that collective and have been encouraged
will continue to ripple through our
embrace engineering as their chosen
by an increase, rather than a decline, in
economy and society for many years
profession and CESA’s members are on
the number of new firms joining us as
to come, in the process introducing
standby to enable this process through
members, all of whom support this drive.
unprecedented change in the way we
professional mentorship.
Awards celebrate
showcase
and
excellence
in
The aftershock of the Covid-19 pandemic
Collectively, we have the answers,
The question of how best to build a capable state needs an action-based
interact and do business. This will be
Communication is vital There is a growing sense of urgency for
approach that looks well beyond the
bankable and ‘shovel ready’ projects
dream, 2021 will be the fulfilment of a
leaders in the public and private sector see
to be moved to the tender and award
long-awaited resurgence in infrastructure
the aftermath as an opportunity to restart
stage. What CESA and the industry
spend. The prime areas include Sanral
and re-engineer, with the infrastructure
are calling for is greater clarity on the
projects, mass housing developments,
sector identified as a major influencer.
actual implementation timeline from
and active Independent Power Producer
The same is true for South Africa, because
government. This is important because it
project awards to meet the immediate
without infrastructure development and
directly influences local and international
2 000 MW emergency supply gap. All are
the services it delivers, no economy can
investment sentiment, to positively impact
imminent and achievable.
function effectively.
gross fixed capital formation.
largely due to the manner in which we embrace technology. Within the global perspective, many
Among our major platforms locally are
Governments tend to be the largest
post-Covid-19 environment. If I dare to
Going into 2021, our focus should be on arresting the decline in GDP and moving
the Sustainable Infrastructure Development
buyers of good and services, which
steadily and smoothly to a resurgence in
Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA)
directly and indirectly stimulates the
commercial activity. Every CESA member
conferences held over the past three years,
growth of major interrelated GDP
has an integral part to play in this process. I
which have received resounding support
contributors like construction and
applaud the companies that have entered
from local and international investors. At
manufacturing. In South Africa, we’ve
our awards this year for their commitment
the 2020 SIDSSA symposium in June, I
experienced a steady drop in public
to the promotion and development of
had the privilege of representing CESA at
infrastructure investment over the past
the industry, and their focus on providing
the Ministerial Round Table Discussion on
decade. Compounding the issue has
engineering excellence!
C E S A A o n E n g i n e e r i n g E x c e l l e n c e Aw a r d s 2 0 2 0
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