Johannesburg - Education is the key to economic development and to ensuring all sectors of society benefit from it.
This is according to Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who addressed business communities in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning.
“Education matters when people make decisions,” said Gordhan, explaining it was not just formal learning that counted but also people’s awareness of what goes on in the world.
During the breakfast, hosted by the Joburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Ernst & Young, Gordhan stressed ignorance had dire consequences.
“If you don’t have an informed citizenry, you open yourself to a vicious form of populism.”
The minister said informing people, providing them with the facts and sharing data would result in a financial climate which would create employment and grow the economy.
The private and public sectors needed to find innovative ways to include all sectors of society in the economy, he said.
THE STAR