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SA: Statement by the Department of Trade and Industry, on strengthening South African-European partnership to benefit the rest of Africa (25/06/2014)

SA: Statement by the Department of Trade and Industry, on strengthening South African-European partnership to benefit the rest of Africa (25/06/2014)

25th June 2014

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The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, has told South Africa's European partners that South Africa has to share its science and technology knowledge with the rest of Africa.
 
"We don't want to be an island of innovation in a sea of technology poverty," Minister Pandor said at a dinner last night on the sidelines of the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Minister Pandor said South Africa had to work to raise the levels of science and technology all over the continent.
 
Last night's dinner was hosted by ESASTAP Plus, a joint initiative of South Africa's Department of Science and Technology and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, aimed at strengthening technology, research and innovation cooperation between Europe and South Africa. The dinner also marked 20 years of freedom in South Africa.
 
The Minister told guests that South Africa was continuing to improve the lives of all its people, as it had done since it took its first bold steps as a new democratic government under the leadership of Nelson Mandela. Some of its first, most remarkable initiatives included making 10 years of education compulsory for all children, and providing free health care for pregnant woman and children up to six years of age.
 
Minister Pandor said that, from its inception, President Mandela's government had decided to invest in higher education to strengthen universities and support research.  This was done because government realised the importance of education in shaping a new society.  In 2004, the government established a separate Department of Science and Technology.
 
Two decades later, South Africa continues to invest in education, and the Department of Science and Technology views human capital development as a key priority.  All its collaborative initiatives with partner countries have human development features built into them.
 
The Minister thanked South Africa's European partners for their ongoing collaboration and support in various fields, and said she looked forward to South Africa's science, technology and innovation partnership with Europe being taken to new heights and expanding across Africa.
 
Africa's involvement in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project was also highlighted during dinner.  The project is an international effort to build the world's largest radio telescope, which will have a collecting area of one square kilometre (or one million square metres).
 
The SKA antennae will be located in Africa and Australia.  The telescope will have an unprecedented scope in observations, exceeding the image resolution quality of the Hubble Space Telescope by a factor of 50, and leading the way in radioastronomy and scientific discovery.
 
Dr Simon Berry, the SKA Organisation's Director for Policy Development, said that the project provided great collaboration opportunities.  The SKA Organisation currently has members from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. India is an associate member.
 
Other countries have expressed their interest in joining the SKA Organisation, which will continue to expand over the coming years. In fact, approximately 100 organisations from about 20 countries have been participating in the design and development of the SKA and are now engaged in the detailed design of the telescope

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