SA needs to be at forefront of digital economy in Africa – Ramaphosa

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

THE 5th South Africa Investment Conference, which was held in Johannesburg last week, provided a huge boost to the country’s digital economy. 

In addition to significant investment commitments in data and telecommunications infrastructure, there were also announcements about investments in the mining, manufacturing, energy, property, logistics and food and beverages sectors.

These announcements took the total amount of investment commitments made over the first five years of our investment drive to over R1.5 trillion. This exceeds the target of R1.2 trillion we set in 2018. 

While all these investments contribute to economic growth and job creation, the investments in the digital economy will, in addition, propel our country into a new era of innovation and progress. Not only is the digital economy important for growth, but it is also vital to the provision of key services such as education, social services and health care. 

South Africa already has