The National Construction Incubator (NCI) in collarboration with the Empire Partner Foundation (EPF) Tech launched the first construction technology innovation hub on the 30th of November 2022 in South Africa, Sandton, with the vision of transforming the future of the construction sector.

The partnership focuses primarily on entrepreneurship development and innovation to achieve a significant impact across the country. As such, the event provided all stakeholders, industry leaders, and construction SMMEs with a platform to engage in a joint effort to transform the South African construction landscape.

Speaking during the event, the CEO of the EPF Tech, Joanna Govender said: “The Empire Partner Foundation (EPF) has a long history of initiating, fostering and promoting the work of partnerships in advancing sustainable development. NCI and the EPF have collectively embarked on this journey to create a sustainable future with people at the centre, prosperity for all, with a peaceful and inclusive society.”

Considering the construction industry's slow technological advancement, as the JBKnowledge report shows that approximately 60% of construction companies lack dedicated budgets for adopting new technologies. The establishment of the construction technology hub will help speed up the use of innovative technology within the industry.

"Our partnership with Empire Partnership Foundation (EPF) has enabled the incubator to improve technology and implement digital working methods. As we move towards the digital era, we therefore decided to partner with the EPF to develop a web portal that will reinvent the construction industry by making it easier and more transparent for stakeholders to manage incubatees in various programmes", adds the CEO of National Construction Incubator, Patt Chalwa.

The NCI CEO further stated that a key objective of this industry-changing web portal is to make it possible for clients, investors, and funders to access reports easily. However, SMMEs will also benefit from it in a variety of ways. As the NCI intends to make the portal available online, they are looking forward to developing emerging contractors by infusing both technical and administrative skills. This will enable them to move from one level to the next.

“We can transform the future of entrepreneurs and tackle the high unemployment rate in the country through collaborative efforts such as this one. We applaud the efforts of the NCI and the EPF to facilitate digital transformation in the construction sector by providing such digital tools to entrepreneurs,” concludes Executive Manager of the Seda Technology Programme, Colin Leshou.