African Fusion July 2023

1 st TWF Africa Annual Assembly and Conference

Chris Smallbone – IIW Fellow and ASR Honorary Member, IIW President 2005-2008, SAIW Fellow, SAIW Honorary Life Member, SAIW President from 1978 to 1979, WTIA Executive Director 1995-2014 and SAIW Executive Director from 1980-1994 – presents an abridged version of his Keynote presentation delivered at the 1 st TWF Africa Annual Assembly and Conference held in Cairo from 14-17 March 2023. Assisting Africa in building-up national welding capabilities and progressing in the UN sustainable development goals

A s the world population continues to grow, the pressures on manu facturing, infrastructure and power generation, not to mention basic needs such as food, water, shelter, health and education, have become enormous com mon challenges. The United Nations (UN) has 193 mem ber countries and with the challenges of improving the quality of life in all countries, the UN has implemented 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed particu larly at low- and middle-income countries. Africa has 54 of these countries and IIW has 51 Member countries constituting more than 80% of global GNP – the total value of goods and services produced by a country’s citizens. Great opportunities for coopera tion and collaboration exist. The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) recognises that natural capital underpins the continent’s economy, affirms that using natural capital is a gateway to wealth creation and invest ments, allows for actions towards achieve ment of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustain able Development Goals (SDGs), and the AU Agenda 2063 through financial, economic, social, and environmental contributions. Africa has major challenges on many

The TWF Africa Annual Assembly in Cairo: from left: Hamed Abdel-Aleem, CMRDI; Ama Ikuru, NCDM; Grace Erhimona, PTI; and Iman El-Mahallawi, BUE.

• Involved with the total life cycle of welded products/structures includ ing design, manufacture, fabrication, construction, conformity assessment, inspection and testing, operation, main tenance, repair and decommissioning including recycling, repurposing and other environmental conditions. • Engaged in, or employing, any of the organisations or people involved above. • Supplying welding equipment or con sumables or materials to be welded. • Involved with education, training, qualification, certification, research and development, work, health and safety (WHS), standards and industrial relations aspects of welding. The Initial International Institute of Weld ing (IIW) model to assist African countries was proposed to the United Nations Indus trial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in 1994, based on the South African Institute of Welding’s world class achievements from 1979 to 1993. The IIW WeldCare Programme was also initiated in 1994 via IIW Working Group Regional Activities and Liaison with Developing Countries (WGRA). Some excellent initiatives with UNIDO, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), European Union (EU) and individual coun-

fronts, particularly, however, with the economies of many of the countries being in prolonged low growth with high levels of poverty, inequality, and unemployment – especially amongst the youth. The Welding Industry, IIW and African members The welding industry is taken as those organisations and people:

A group of TWF delegates from Nigeria and Uganda.

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July 2023

AFRICAN FUSION