Africa needs to reap benefits of resources‚ says Ramaphosa

For centuries‚ Africa has provided the raw materials that have fuelled the greatest industrial and technological advances in human history‚ but the continent has not yet had the opportunity to fully enjoy the economic and social benefits that arise from the exploitation of its resources‚ Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday.

Addressing a conference of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)‚ he said this needed to change.

“That is why the recent approval by African Heads of State of the science‚ technology and innovation strategy is such a positive development.

“It has the potential to establish Africa as a supplier not merely of raw materials‚ but also as a supplier of the technology and knowledge required to transform those materials into a better life for all its people.

South Africa is committed to playing its part‚” he said.N

He added that science and technology were critical for the continent’s economic growth and development.