(3 minutes read)
· The South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Industries Association (AMD)) is currently playing an important role in South Africa’s economy and civil society, with enormous potential to drive positive change even further
· The focus of CMD is on high technology capabilities including the design, development, testing, evaluation, manufacturing, operating, upgrading, maintenance, repair and overhaul of air (including space) & sea (i.e. maritime & naval) platforms and their sub-systems – including items that are regarded as dual use for purposes both locally and abroad
· The value of a country’s defense sector to its economy is enormous as it provides sovereign security
The South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Industries Association (AMD)) is currently playing an important role in South Africa’s economy and civil society, with enormous potential to drive positive change even further.
The AMD is a grouping of South African aerospace and defense registered entities. The focus of CMD is on high technology capabilities including the design, development, testing, evaluation, manufacturing, operating, upgrading, maintenance, repair and overhaul of air (including space) & sea (i.e. maritime & naval) platforms and their sub-systems – including items that are regarded as dual use for purposes both locally and abroad.
Sandile Ndlovu, the Interim Executive Director, AMD said that the segment required a special and unique level of government support. He said that the value of a country’s defense sector to its economy is enormous as it provides sovereign security. Civil society does not always realize this important factor. The technology required in this sector is able to drive other innovations. He cited the examples of Internet and GPS, which have originated from defense laboratories in the US and then revolutionized civilian life.
South Africa’s defense sector, he said, has allowed the country to remain globally competitive for decades. This helps the country to reduce import of certain technologies by locally innovating and also creating jobs. The World Economic Forum, he said, has predicted that innovative technology including in the defense will create 58 million more jobs than it removes from the global economy in the next few years.
