As South Africa navigates a new era of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in defence and security, the adoption of a tailored and fit-for-purpose PPP model is critical to addressing the country’s unique challenges and opportunities.
Ratilal Rowji, CEO of Global Command and Control Technologies (GC2T), highlighted this need during the 2025 Public-Private Partnerships for Defence and Security Conference in Pretoria on 7 March.
Rowji emphasized that a well-designed PPP framework could foster technological innovation, enhance knowledge transfer, and strengthen the local industrial base, ultimately bolstering South Africa’s long-term defence capabilities. By reducing foreign dependency, optimising resource allocation, and developing collaboration between government and private stakeholders, such partnerships hold the potential to transform the South African defence landscape.
However, to realize these benefits, Rowji underscored the importance of addressing regulatory hurdles, governance issues, and skill gaps through a reimagined PPP strategy aligned with national priorities.
Speaking at the Public Private Partnerships for Defence and Security 2025 conference, he focused on how PPPs could be leveraged in order to drive defence innovation and local industrial development in South Africa.
Rowji strongly emphasised the advantages that a well thought out, and context specific, PPP model could bring to the defence and security sectors in South Africa. These benefits range from enhanced sovereign capabilities through reduced foreign dependency for the defence sector, to significant cost savings. According to Rowji, this would mean the government and private sector could “jointly developed and maintain critical infrastructure which would allow for R&D initiates and the manufacturing of specialised equipment.”
“Beyond cost savings, the advantage is that we can foster technology adaptation, enhance knowledge transfer, and develop a strong local industry base that ultimately will also bolster the country’s long-term defence capabilities,” Rowji added.
PPP push and pull factors
“The ‘push’ factors driving PPP adoption include mounting fiscal pressures, the rapid pace of technological change, and the need to mitigate risks in the complex defence and security environments,” Rowji said. “On the other hand, the ‘pull’ factors reflect the tangible benefits of these partnerships – such as faster innovation cycles, technology driven products and services, improved resource allocation, and the development of a robust local industrial base.”
Rowji pointed to the existing capabilities of the South African Defence Industry (SADI) in a range of technological areas ranging from AI and robotics to arms and ammunition. He noted that these needs and capabilities largely mirror developed countries’ capabilities, meaning the prime task for decision-makers in the domestic defence environment is to leverage the extensive capabilities already present within the SA defence industry to support the SA National Defence Force.
PPP challenges
Rowji also noted the various challenges that have and continue to slow PPP adoption in South Africa. These include regulatory hurdles; the high costs often associated with technological advancement; governance issues such as corruption; and capability gaps (skills shortages and lack of industrial capacity).
Rowji emphasised the impotence of creating a “re-designed, tailored to be fit-for-purpose” PPP model which can “address the challenges that are currently hampering PPPs in South Africa.” According to Rowji, this should involve a joint effort by National Treasury, the Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD), SA defence industry, Commercial Aerospace Manufacturing Association of South Africa (CAMASA), Armscor, Border Management Authority, State Security Agency, and Secretary for Defence to design new and fit-for-purpose PPP framework/s.
GC2T’s recommendations on PPPs moving forward
Beyond calling for clear policy guidelines, strong oversight mechanisms, and incentives for innovation, Rowji provided as set of clear recommendations which could and should be adopted as a new era for PPPs in South Africa begins. Rowji argued that a national PPP strategy should be developed. This strategy should, according to him, “align with defence white papers, and industrial policy; streamline bureaucracy and reduce red-tape.”
Rowji also called for the establishment of a “think-tank with key stakeholders/role players in the adopting and tailoring of the PPP framework and model applicable to defence,” coupled with the establishment of working groups to align new PPP initiatives with the recommendations of the Defence Review.
In concluding, Rowji reiterated that while “we are already moving in the direction of having a PPP framework put into place, we must look at the Defence Review, look at the strategic programmes and projects that are identified therein, and we have to establish those working groups in order to ensure that we direct PPPs in the direction that is required for the SANDF.”
