Ramaphosa: South Africa’s infrastructure drive is gathering pace

By Cyril Ramaphosa

To achieve the levels of growth our country needs to create enough jobs for its people, we need far more construction and more reliable and consistent infrastructure maintenance.

That is why infrastructure development is a strategic priority for government.

Airports, roads, railways, public transit systems, water, energy and telecoms infrastructure all play a vital role in driving economic growth. Infrastructure development has a multiplier effect, driving productivity and job creation, and improving the delivery of basic services. 

For many years, capital investment by both the public and private sectors was in decline. This was due, among other things, to a difficult economic environment, the diversion of resources through state capture, bureaucratic obstacles and low investor confidence.

Now, following various reforms and initiatives, our infrastructure drive is gathering pace.

A recent report by Nedbank found that the total value of new projects announced by both the public and