African Fusion March 2023

SAIW news: TWF 1 st Annual Assembly

At the opening of the 1 st TWF Africa Annual Assembly and Conference in Cairo on March 14, 2023, TWF President John Tarboton presented the welcome and the annual report for the Federation’s 2022-2023 year. African Fusion reports. TWF’s 2022 year culminates in First Annual Assembly and Conference

“I t is my pleasure to welcome you all to the Inaugural General Assem bly and International Conference of The Welding Federation, with the theme “Welding and Allied Processes – Blueprint Africa. This conference marks a significant milestone in our journey towards promot ing and advancing the art and science of welding in Africa and beyond,” began John Tarboton, SAIW executive director and TWF president for the 2022 year. “As the President of The Welding Federa tion, I am proud to represent a dynamic and forward-thinking organisation dedicated to advancing the welding industry in Af rica. Our goal is to provide a platform for professionals in the welding industry to network, share knowledge, and collaborate towards achieving sustainable develop ment through welding. “The theme for this conference, ‘Weld ing and Allied Processes - Blueprint Africa,’ could not be more timely. The African continent is rapidly developing, and the role of welding in this development cannot be overemphasised. Welding has become an essential tool in various industries, including construction, manufacturing, and oil and gas. It is, therefore, imperative that we come together to explore ways to optimise the use of welding technology to drive economic growth and development in Africa,” he said. There have been numerous challenges faced by organisations worldwide in 2022,

A panel discussion at the TWF Africa Annual Assembly in Cairo. From left: Hamed Abdel-Aleem, CMRDI; Ama Ikuru, NCDM; Grace Erhimona, PTI; and Iman El-Mahallawi, BUE.

that we, as TWF, have adopted to build our success in 2022. We have responded positively to Africa’s call for a solutions plat form to drive and manage our industrial interests. A solutions platform that comple ments and not necessarily competes with international benchmarks. A solutions plat form that accurately enmeshes the African ideal and identity and emphasises the need to build skills, create opportunities, and sustain the productivity of manufacturing industries.” He reported that in 2022, despite the lack of funds, TWF was able to achieve most of its programmes and projects. Impres sively, TWF through the committed effort of members, followed through with its road map to provide quality solutions in terms of human and corporate capacities. “In 2022, TWF made significant progress. Our successes include forging partnerships such as signing an SLA with the SAIW to pro mote and jointly implement ISO 3834 com pany certification schemes as a vehicle to growing quality and improving productivity across manufacturing industries in Africa. “TWF also successfully onboarded PET AN – the Petroleum Technology of Nigeria. And we were able to enter into partnership with the biggest energy conference and exhibition in Africa through our embrace of PETAN onto the Board of TWF. This led to

including recovery from the Covid-19 pan demic, the war in Ukraine, and the resultant global inflation problem. This has led to higher interest rates that have dampened global growth rates. In addition, the transi tion from fossil fuels to renewable energy is a threat to many countries in Africa. “We must ensure this is a just transition and that the process is managed carefully to minimise any negative impacts on our continent,” he added. Despite the potential advantage of Af rica’s growing population, the correspond ing challenges are mass unemployment and a gross lack of infrastructure. “The fact is, there is an urgent need for Africa to

think differently and innovatively. We need to move away from long-standing survival tactics to a cohesive developmental strat egy to address our centuries’ old socio economic limitations. We need to harness the collective strength of Africa to address these challenges,” Tar boton urged confer ence delegates. “This is the model

Delegates at the 1 st TWF Africa Annual Assembly and Conference in Cairo, which was held from March 14 to 17, 2023.

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March 2023

AFRICAN FUSION