Chair, to the Deputy President, in his absence, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterised by the fusion of technologies, blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres, and breaking into a number of fields, such as robotics, artificial intelligence, AI, and nanotechnology.
South Korea and Japan are considered as two of South Africa's most important and strategic co-operation partners in the areas of science, technology, and innovation. Both have significantly advanced in their countries' development trajectory through the active inclusion of STI in their national development policies.
South Africa is striving to do the same, albeit from a significantly lower base in terms of education standards and investment in research and development. The purpose of this study tour was to establish how policy decisions around science and technology have an influence on economic growth and skills development in these