Nomso Kana, founder of Simsciex Technologies, found her inspiration in science fiction, which sparked her passion for the sciences. Today, she's a trailblazer, using her journey to inspire others and give back to the community.
Nomso Kana is a renowned nuclear scientist and leader in energy, policy and broadband infrastructure, and the founder of Simsciex Technologies – and says she found at least part of her career inspiration in Star Trek movies.
“It was a treat in our household when I was growing up, to go into town to rent out movies like Star Trek,” she reflects. “One thing that really caught my attention as a young girl was how the characters were able to teleport from one place to another in the movies – teleportation, mind you, wasn’t even a concept we were close to grasping at the time.”
However, Nomso really applauds her parents who identified her high-acumen in the sciences at an early age and encouraged her to lean into that direction after completing matric. “I eventually ended up studying computer science, physics and chemistry in university,” she says. “I got into nuclear studies a little bit, but it wasn’t that in-depth at the time. I then went off to pursue chemistry and medical biology sciences, which was linked to biotechnology – those courses really shaped the kind of fields and spaces I occupy today.”
Nomso ultimately became a medical biology scientist and was eventually poached by one of the managers at the nuclear reactors in Pelindaba, which is South Africa’s main nuclear research centre, run by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation. Her qualifications and experience really fit in with radioisotopes and nuclear medicine, and she started practising as a nuclear scientist.
“South Africa is ranked third in the world in terms of importing radioisotopes, used for thyroid cancer treatment, and I worked in the purification chain of that,” she notes. She adds that her computer sciences studies also came in handy, since programming and developing algorithms are a requirement in the nuclear reactors.
A trusted advisor
Notably, Nomso is also one of the commissioners for 4IR in the presidency. In fact, the role was highly sought-after – having had close to 6,500 people applying for it, only 33 candidates were selected. However, Nomso’s skills came highly recommended by her peers at Stanford University and colleagues in the nuclear space for some of the work she had done in the tech space.
“We developed a comprehensive report on the various sectors in the South African economy and how 4IR technologies could really amass the country’s economic opportunities, which was submitted to the presidency,” she explains.
“Today, you will see that most of the SETAs developed new curriculums for training programmes that are linked to 4IR technologies, including an AI institute that was launched. It also inspired many in the public and private sector to come together and build our own IP knowledge and awareness of the industrial era we are in.”
An entrepreneur
Simsciex Technologies, a multifaceted ICT solutions company that plays mainly in the telco space reveals Nomso’s other persona: a tech entrepreneur. Her passion in the space really lies in broadband access, and she and her team are currently working on deploying networks using fibre to enable digital communication. She’s trying to leverage AI to tackle most South Africans' challenge of poor network coverage, essentially using the cloud to get a grip on latency issues, quietly linked to 4IR technologies.
She’s also trying to bridge the digital divide specifically in the rural areas. However, according to Nomso, it also starts with connectivity. “South Africans are active internet users, mainly through their mobile phones, with claims that everyone in every corner of the country is connected, but that claim is debatable,” she says.
“The digital divide presents itself through dated technologies such as 3G that some people still rely on, and geography,” she explains. “In some parts of the country, there are huge distances between towns, which makes building networks in those environments difficult, and the first step to bridging the digital divide is getting those networks to people, sustainable connectivity for that matter.”
A mentor
Nomso also strives to empower the youth through mentorship. She’s involved with a non-profit organisation, which focuses on the SADC region, looking at young girls in rural areas with high science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) acumen and who have leadership qualities. The NPO exposes these young girls to different science-based industries, as well as women leaders, and guides them through their chosen career paths.
“We’ve had good results: some of the girls have decided to study amazing courses abroad, while a majority of the girls are inspired to pursue studies that were influenced by the challenges in their own communities – like becoming nurses, due to the lack thereof. One girl, in particular, took things even further: she graduated from UCT with an astrophysics degree.
“It's crucial for young girls to see role models who look like them and can relate to doing extraordinary things. This representation inspires them and gives them hope,” she concludes.
