South Africa needed to create opportunities that would empower its young people to secure jobs, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday.
Ramaphosa said this ahead of next Wednesday’s World Economic Forum on Africa (WEFA) which gets underway in the southern city of Cape Town.
The president said: “South Africa is once again honoured to host this globally important gathering.
“We look forward to learning from partners and counterparts how best to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth that creates employment for our youth and enables us to improve the living conditions of all South Africans.”
While the country needed to create opportunities that would empower young people, “at the same time, the forum will allow South Africa to showcase the broad range of programmes we have put in place and actions we have taken to reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality,” he added.
According to him, the forum is a platform for South Africa to profile ways in which the country has embraced opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and began to prepare for challenges arising from the interplay between technology and people.
At the gathering, South Africa would also learn from countries that have excelled in using technology and the 4IR to advance their economies, he said.
A wide range of issues will be discussed at the meeting, including the future of state-owned enterprises; infrastructure; promoting female leadership; investing in mental health and achieving universal health coverage as well as Africa’s climate change challenges among others, Ramaphosa noted.
NM/abj/APA