HSRC welcomes the building of an Africa that is at peace with itself
13 February 2020
The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) welcomes South Africa’s assumption of the Chairpersonship of the African Union earlier this week and the commitments by President Cyril Ramaphosa to work with the continent to build a socially inclusive and more equitable Africa for its people.
It was particularly heartening to hear South Africa committing to marshalling for the collective benefit of Africans the rich resources of the continent. President Ramaphosa said “Africa is rich in natural resources -- yes, but also in history, in intellectual output, in culture, in a sense of humanity and in human capital.”
Reflecting on this, the CEO of the HSRC Professor Crain Soudien said, “The marshalling of all these resources will enable the continent and the diaspora to achieve peace, security, development, and more equitable standards of living. More importantly, we will go a long way to building an Africa that is at peace with itself.”
The HSRC also welcomes the commitments of South Africa to, during its Presidency, work with President Akufo-Addo of Ghana to ensure the interests of women are mainstreamed, and have the years 2020 to 2030 declared as the Decade of African Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion. In his speech President Ramaphosa buttressed this with a commitment to addressing gender-based violence and making the adoption of an AU Convention on Violence Against Women a priority.