“… [To] the youths of Nigeria, those on the streets hoping strongly for opportunities and guidance to unleash their potentials. You are not voiceless. You are being heard. The Motherland needs you. You should also hearken to her appeal and hold your destinies in your hands. This work gives you a tool. Please use it.”  – A dedication, by Dr Shina Akeem Oyewale    Youth unemployment is a global issue and of enormous concern. It is even acutely pronounced in South Africa where youth unemployment figures are currently sounding critical alarm bells. The issue, however, and as aforementioned, is not limited to South Africa. Northwards, on the Gulf of Guinea, on the Western Coast of Africa, the Nigerian nation is faced with the same conundrum. Many a people have sounded suggestions that businesses or corporates could play a role in reducing unemployment figures. From the academic space, individuals have been researching…

Getting to know DaVinci’s Doctoral alumnus, Therasinamurthie Perumal Govender from the class of 2021   Dr Therasinamurthie Perumal Govender, a seasoned and respected leader, is the current Managing Director at TEK-MATION Training Institute. Dr Govender, in a recent engagement, shared the tale of his remarkable journey…     Please give us a brief overview of your career to date. My name is TP Govender (otherwise known as Dave), a Managing Director at TEK-MATION Training Institute. My areas of specialisations are Process Automation and Control Engineering, Engineering Fabrication, Pulp and Paper Technology and Oil and Gas Processing. I have progressed through my career as an artisan, technician, and engineer from the factory floor to my present position. A call to academia was the next providential step for me and I spent the best part of eight years in the Department of Electronic Engineering at the Durban University of Technology. I have…

A Q&A with The Da Vinci Institute’s Doctoral alumnus Dr Renaldo de Jager   Please give us a brief overview of your career to date. I have just over two decades of work experience as an International Management Consultant, during which time I successfully delivered projects in most industries and in various countries around the world.   Your thesis is titled: “An integrated approach to management as a mechanism to enhance the efficiencies of manufacturing concerns in the Gauteng province.” Please provide us with a blurb on the purpose of this research and its contribution. The GDP [Gross domestic product] of South Africa has been decreasing year-on-year since 2012. Since the productivity of a country is measured by its GDP, statistics imply that productivity in South Africa is on the decline, and thus affecting the economic growth of South Africa, which has also been in decline year-on-year since 2012. Parenthetically,…

  “… [To] the youths of Nigeria, those on the streets hoping strongly for opportunities and guidance to unleash their potentials. You are not voiceless. You are being heard. The Motherland needs you. You should also hearken to her appeal and hold your destinies in your hands. This work gives you a tool. Please use it.”  – A dedication, by Dr Shina Akeem Oyewale    Youth unemployment is a global issue and of enormous concern. It is even acutely pronounced in South Africa where youth unemployment figures are currently sounding critical alarm bells. The issue, however, and as aforementioned, is not limited to South Africa. Northwards, on the Gulf of Guinea, on the Western Coast of Africa, the Nigerian nation is faced with the same conundrum. Many a people have sounded suggestions that businesses or corporates could play a role in reducing unemployment figures. From the academic space, individuals have been researching…

Getting to know DaVinci’s Doctoral alumnus, Therasinamurthie Perumal Govender from the class of 2021   Dr Therasinamurthie Perumal Govender, a seasoned and respected leader, is the current Managing Director at TEK-MATION Training Institute. Dr Govender, in a recent engagement, shared the tale of his remarkable journey…     Please give us a brief overview of your career to date. My name is TP Govender (otherwise known as Dave), a Managing Director at TEK-MATION Training Institute. My areas of specialisations are Process Automation and Control Engineering, Engineering Fabrication, Pulp and Paper Technology and Oil and Gas Processing. I have progressed through my career as an artisan, technician, and engineer from the factory floor to my present position. A call to academia was the next providential step for me and I spent the best part of eight years in the Department of Electronic Engineering at the Durban University of Technology. I have…

A Q&A with The Da Vinci Institute’s Doctoral alumnus Dr Renaldo de Jager   Please give us a brief overview of your career to date. I have just over two decades of work experience as an International Management Consultant, during which time I successfully delivered projects in most industries and in various countries around the world.   Your thesis is titled: “An integrated approach to management as a mechanism to enhance the efficiencies of manufacturing concerns in the Gauteng province.” Please provide us with a blurb on the purpose of this research and its contribution. The GDP [Gross domestic product] of South Africa has been decreasing year-on-year since 2012. Since the productivity of a country is measured by its GDP, statistics imply that productivity in South Africa is on the decline, and thus affecting the economic growth of South Africa, which has also been in decline year-on-year since 2012. Parenthetically,…

Dr Premie Naicker is one of The Da Vinci Institute’s Doctoral alumni, the Managing Director of FuseForward, and she serves as one of the members of The Da Vinci Institute’s council – offering her expert advice towards driving the strategy of The Institute.   Please provide us with a brief overview of your career to date.  My career spans over 25 years in IT and People Development. I have managed a few multinational software and IT companies in Sub-Saharan Africa. My current position is Managing Director at FuseForward (which is an AWS partner). In addition, I am also the Executive Director of an NGO called Computer Aid International.    What prompted your decision to become one of The Institute’s council members?  I am an alumnus of The Da Vinci Institute, and it is an honour that I now am one of the council members. Being a council member gives me…

Marlenie Moodley’s academic journey ensured her remarkable mould – it sharpened Marlenie’s critical thinking and sounded her unique voice. Today she tells her story…   Marlenie is a focused, curious, and disciplined individual, who works hard at her goals. It is these attributes that contributed to her attainment of her Master’s degree. Marlenie singles out her “flexibility and self-motivation” to have helped her through this journey.   When asked to describe how her academic undertaking was, Marlenie says the past two years for her have been a challenge and adds that all the “stress and pressure is overwhelming – balancing being a new mom, wife, having a full-time job and being a part-time student. Every now and then, there were times when quitting seemed easier than continuing.” Marlenie did not quit, however, and her resilience is paying off. Her robust nature is largely linked to her working experiences, which span two…