Nolwazi Mbananga, from the Medical Research Council of South Africa, said that the country’s mines should become “knowledge-based organisations”.
“We often hear of miners who are trapped underground, but have we asked those miners what the signs are before mines collapse?” she said.
“Have we tapped the knowledge of these miners?”
Mbananga pleaded on Tuesday for academics and businesses to get involved in the country’s knowledge management initiatives, spearheaded by the government.
She was speaking at an international conference on intellectual capital at the University of Stellenbosch’s Business School. She was the keynote speaker on the second day of the conference.
Keynote speaker on the first day was Professor Göran Roos, from the Finnish National Research Institute. He told delegates: “Companies must manage innovation and not just throw money at research. It is not what you spend, but what you get out of the process of research and innovation. Companies must develop an ability to harness innovation and use it to make money.” ‒ I-Net Bridge