Artificial intelligence, quantum computing and neurotechnology are rapidly transforming our environment, redefining industries, society and human experience itself.
In this period of great potential and great risks, there is an urgent need for increased international collaboration and meaningful debate. The world also needs a new type of leadership, one able to anticipate future challenges and opportunities, and therefore transform disruption into a force for constructive change.
In this context, the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), through the Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa (SDCfA) platform and in collaboration with the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA), is hosting the Anticipatory Leadership Week (ALW) as a G20 side event from 18 to 22 September 2025.
The SDCfA, an initiative of the DSTI and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is a platform that fosters international collaboration in science, technology and innovation (STI) to address Africa’s pressing societal challenges and contribute meaningfully to global development.
The Anticipatory Leadership Week is focused on equipping policy and decision-makers with skills related to anticipating the impact of disruptive technologies on societies. Held as a side event to the G20 Research and Innovation Working Group and G20 Research and Innovation Ministerial Meetings, the five-day ALW currently under way in Pretoria.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening on 19 September 2025, the Director-General of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Mlungisi Cele, said that the gathering reflected South Africa’s commitment to positioning STI as central drivers of sustainable development, both nationally and globally.
“South Africa’s G20 Presidency is a crucial moment for the country and the African continent. The 2025 theme for the Research and Innovation Working Group, namely, ‘Science, technology and innovation for solidarity, equality and sustainability’, aims to address critical global challenges, with a strong focus on Africa’s development”, he said.
Cele spoke of the growing importance of global cooperation to tackle pressing issues such as climate change, food security, health and energy. He noted that new technological frontiers, including artificial intelligence, called for collaborative approaches that anticipated both opportunities and challenges.
“Given the emerging global challenges that we face, there is a key role for international cooperation in providing innovative solutions. More than ever, the focus is not only on how we use these for the global good, but also on the opportunities to work together to anticipate evolving opportunities and challenges,” he stated.
The event also emphasised Africa’s science and innovation priorities, aligning with the African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034.
According to the Cele, the discussions at the ALW are designed to bridge local perspectives with global conversations shaping the impact of technology on societies.
“Science knows no borders, providing key platforms for initiatives and cooperation that transcend boundaries. The diversity of participants reflects the importance of science and technology across sectors and regions,” he added.
The Deputy Director-General: International Cooperation Resources at the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Daan du Toit, presented South Africa’s latest STI policy updates and highlighted findings from the latest national survey on research and experimental development, which showed research and development spending at 0,62% of GDP and progress in the transformation of participation, with 47% of researchers being women.
He outlined the government’s STI priorities under the 7th administration, namely, inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and building a capable developmental state. He noted that the STI Decadal Plan (2022-2032) provided the framework for achieving this vision. There was a strong focus on transforming the national system of innovation (NSI), ensuring that it was responsive to South Africa’s needs, as well as on improving governance, coordination and collaboration in order to increase investment in a difficult economic environment.
When referring to the recommendations of the NSI Transformation Summit held in March 2025, Du Toit noted the priority intervention areas for transformation – fostering a new cultural mindset and reshaping the way knowledge is produced, anticipating and harnessing disruptive technologies, focusing its efforts on advancing African and Global South agendas, and remaining responsive to shifting geopolitical dynamics.
He said that internationalisation and science diplomacy were regarded as essential enablers of South Africa’s STI agenda and global problem solving, particularly in advancing African and Global South priorities.
Dr Ndumiso Cingo, Strategic Partnerships Manager at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, said that the ALW would encourage the kind of thinking that made it possible to address some of the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead.
Prof. Michael Otmar Hengartner, Chair of the GESDA Academic Forum and Board President of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH), spoke about GESDA’s Science Breakthrough Radar®, which provides an overview of science trends and breakthrough predictions in 42 science and technology emerging topics. He also looked at how the ALW enabled GESDA and others to identify current opportunities for action.
The Science Breakthrough Radar® asks leading scientists how they envisage the future of their field in five, 10 and 25 years. Hengartner indicated that “2 300 scientists from 87 countries have contributed to the Radar since its inception in 2021”.
He also talked about the role of science diplomacy in a changing geopolitical context and said science and technology advances were accelerating, with transformative impacts on people, society and the planet. He indicated that he considered science and technology as inherent drivers of geopolitics.
Talking about the ALW, Hengartner said that anticipatory leadership training would, among other things, expand the role of stakeholders in science diplomacy. In a shifting and multipolar geopolitical scenario, it could serve as a bridge for engagement when other forms of multilateral cooperation were not possible.
The event, which brought participants from government, academia, diplomacy, and industry, has allowed South Africa to contribute to the Global Curriculum for Anticipatory Leadership, a GESDA initiative aimed at designing a new paradigm for leadership training.
Africa Fact: Africans were the first to engage in mining 43,000 years ago. In 1964 a hematite mine was found in Swaziland at Bomvu
Ridge in the Ngwenya mountain range. Ultimately 300,000 artefacts were recovered including thousands of stone-made mining tools. Adrian Boshier, one of the archaeologists on the site, dated the mine to a staggering 43,200 years old.
Zero Charisma
Aikona – not on your life [eye-koh-na] or [hi-koh-na] A Zulu term used to express shock or disbelief when talking to friends or family.Example: “Aikona, why did she do that?!” / “Haikona, when?! How?!”
Chip Queen
Thailand: You have two cows. One of them was born a bull.