South Africa’s Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela says the country must urgently adapt its education and training system to digital and automation changes, including artificial intelligence. The minister frames the issue as a “workforce-transition capacity problem,” arguing that the current higher education approach needs to evolve to support new kinds of jobs and skills as workplaces change.
Ahead of an address to Parliament, Manamela’s message focuses on the need for digitisation in higher education to help shape the future workforce and reduce the risk of youth unemployment. He presents the digital transformation underway in the economy as both an immediate reality and a driver of policy urgency, suggesting that education and training institutions must align with evolving labour-market needs.
Both reports highlight that Manamela positions digital reform not as a distant plan but as an ongoing requirement for the higher education sector. In this context, the proposed direction is toward ensuring the system can transition learners into emerging roles that result from AI, automation and broader technology adoption.
