South African entrepreneur and technocrat Sonto Kudjoe, who is a former Director General of South Africa’s State Security Agency (SSA) and Ambassador to Egypt from 2006-2010, has a unique understanding of the modern-day defence and security threats challenging the African continent.
South African entrepreneur and technocrat Sonto Kudjoe (LEFT)
She also believes the South African private and public sector and indeed the men and women that comprise both each have a role to play to the benefit of not only the defence industry but in reinvigorating South African manufacturing on the whole, firmly supporting the notion that embracing Fourth Industrial Revolution-inspired technologies will create substantially greater and equal employment opportunities.
She has recently joined the newly launched Paramount Group South Africa, the local subsidiary of the global defence and aerospace business, Paramount Group, alongside its Chairman, Dr. Matthews Phosa.
Ambassador Kudjoe recently spoke to me about her background and new position within the context of present day defence and security in South Africa, both as a national investment priority and in its role as a driver of equal employment, an opportunity in her view to be leveraged to the betterment of the country and a model for the continent and the world.
What are the challenges and opportunities for women in the defence and security industry in South Africa?
The major challenge is that by its very nature, the defence and security industry has always been and still in many cases remains, male-dominated.
Lately however, in South Africa, more and more women are taking strides into the Engineering, ICT, Software Development and Cybersecurity arenas. This phenomenon and the skills that these women will bring to the table are direly needed in the modern-day defence and security industry in particular.
It is very exciting that more women are qualifying as fighter pilots in the South African Airforce, for example, contributing at the pinnacle of the military establishment. We are also seeing an increasing number of women playing their part in senior roles at the Police Service and the State Intelligence Agency. This highlights that women do have an understanding and appreciation of the industry at large and I believe that, given the opportunity, women will make an even more impactful contribution to this ever-changing sector.
However, women cannot sit stagnant nor be content about the current status quo, as there is still much room for improvement; the lack of women in the defence industry to date is a problem that is not unique to South Africa; it is truly global. However, I see this as an opportunity to motivate more women to join this sector and I am proud to say that in South Africa, we have had two amazing women already appointed as Ministers of Defence under different State Presidents, so I will draw my inspiration and energy from them moving forward.
Why is investment in South African defence such a priority?
Historically, both South Africa’s government and the private sector have prioritized research and development (R&D) in the defence space, with such investments resulting in the creation of world-leading capabilities that are sought after around the globe. This climate has enabled South Africa to export its defence technologies; positioning the country as a formidable player in the industry. It is important that South Africa continues to play a leading role in the global defence market, and this can only be achieved through continuous investment and innovation.
South Africa and other African countries already contribute significantly in peacekeeping missions on the African continent and around the world. This has presented us with an opportunity to focus on the development of new products and deployment of new solutions that are appropriate for today’s environment of asymmetrical conflict that governments are experiencing, especially inherent to those in Africa and the Middle East. Innovating and investing in such technologies on an ongoing basis, means that we as a country can continue improving our technological prowess in defence and security.
Further, South Africa borders six countries and patrolling those borders is crucial to prevent illegal activities. One also cannot over-emphasize the need to safeguard our ‘blue economy’ and coastal border via surveillance, while concurrently fighting illegal poaching activities in and around our beautiful national parklands.
As your readers are no doubt aware, the effects of global warming dictate that our country must be prepared and equipped to tackle the threats presented by natural disasters. Therefore, establishing early warning systems using the latest forecasting technologies is of vital national priority and this requires further investment.
Ultimately, an investment in the defence industry represents an investment in a significant contributor to the economy and GDP of South Africa.
What are your ambitions for the South African defence industry?
Paramount Group South Africa was founded to bolster the capacity of South African end-users by providing the most advanced, scalable and cost-effective technologies and solutions, those that form part of Paramount Group’s comprehensive global capabilities.
We will be embarking on an investment and acquisitions drive and technology transfer that will recharge South Africa’s defence industry, strengthening our capability to serve the requirements of the SANDF, the SAPS, Home Affairs, Customs and Border Security, Intelligence Services, Peacekeeping and Anti-Poaching forces. We will do this by delivering programmes for the South African market across the Naval, Aerospace, Land, Cyber, and Security domains. It is our belief that Paramount Group South Africa’s efforts will help South Africa embrace, implement and lead the continent’s ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution.
What are the threats facing Africa?
Throughout the continent, the African people face new types of conflict which we haven’t experienced before due to a variety of factors, those internal, external, natural and man-made: terrorism, food and water insecurity, and continued population growth, to name a few. These and other variables will increase the demand for peacekeeping efforts and humanitarian assistance within and well beyond our borders. The South African defence industry is therefore an asset which the whole continent can benefit from; we have a responsibility to ensure that we are continuously innovating and developing appropriate, African-borne technological solutions to meet African challenges.
In addition to equipping defence, police and peacekeeping forces with the best and most effective technologies, the nation must also train and properly prepare those forces, present and future, so that they are ready to deter, defeat or mitigate future threats. Paramount Group South Africa looks forward to playing its role in the nation achieving these necessary goals. I hope that we can be counted amongst the best in the world in the solutions that we have and are currently championing and those in new arenas that we have already started researching and developing, for example in boons in cybersecurity.
Whatever we do will have a greater impact beyond our nation’s boundaries, so this should not preclude the possibility of collaboration with others in the same field of interest. I know that Paramount Group and by extension Paramount Group South Africa host advanced skills and technologies in the deference and aerospace sector, so I am looking forward to exciting innovations and collaborations that we will bring to the industry.
You are one of Africa’s most accomplished women. What does the future hold for Ambassador Sonto Kudjoe?
I have always had an interest in the myriad of issues comprising defence and security; this started over 20 years ago, when the world and the challenges within it were far different than what they are today. I hope to continue to learn and contribute more to the resolution of these evolving challenges in my own small way. I am also open minded to exploring other areas of global security such as cyber, based on where the needs and the challenges may lie in future.
My vision is to have more formidable women in this industry in South Africa and indeed around the world, so that we can together play a bigger role in identifying the future trends and challenges affecting our way of life and seek to solve them.