“… [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,…