SA can learn from countries that have faced similar challenges: Ramaphosa

20 October 2016 - 21:57 By TMG Digital

South Africa needs to learn from countries that‚ through effort‚ ingenuity and the support of others‚ have overcome the kind of challenges that this country is currently facing‚ says Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa. Addressing a South African heads of mission conference in Pretoria‚ Ramaphosa said the country needed to ask what research‚ resources and technology its host countries could contribute to support industrialisation‚ mineral beneficiation and agro-processing in South Africa. “We need to draw on the expertise of these countries and design programmes that will enable us to share knowledge and skills‚” he said. The country also needed to engage in the painstaking work of untangling the administrative impediments that often held back the import of South African goods into its host countries.“We need to find ways to expose businesses in these countries to the opportunities that exist in South Africa and facilitate their investment in our economy.“Tourism is a significant area of potential growth and employment creation.“Our missions have a critical role to play in encouraging the citizens of their host countries to visit our country and experience its hospitality‚ natural wonders and rich cultural diversity‚” Ramaphosa said.He added that South Africa had also identified the ocean economy as a growth opportunity.“We are continuously looking for international partners who can contribute to the skilling of South Africans in areas like port management‚ aquaculture‚ oil and gas exploration and ship building.“We are using our membership of the Indian Ocean Rim Association‚ which we will chair from October 2017‚ to unlock the potential of the ocean economy.“This will further provide us an opportunity to enhance cooperation‚ build new enterprises and create jobs for our people‚” Ramaphosa said.He added that the government had visited a number of countries to study how their state owned enterprises had been effective instruments in lifting their populations out of poverty.“We are studying the architecture‚ governance and financing of these SOEs so that we may improve the performance and impact of our own.”The government was also improving the ease of doing business‚ providing incentives and other forms of support to investors and investing heavily in our economic infrastructure.“The government and business representatives we meet in many countries appreciate that we have a robust and vibrant democracy.“They recognise that we have strong democratic institutions that promote accountability and the rule of law.“They understand that we are an integral part of Africa‚ and that our growth trajectory is linked to intra-African trade and development.“In all our international engagements‚ we are impressed by the numerous opportunities that exist for cooperation in the transfer of skills‚ technology and experience‚” Ramaphosa added...

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