"France will join the SKA Observatory." It was in these terms that French President Emmanuel Macron, then on a state visit to South Africa, announced France’s membership in the SKA intergovernmental organization.
South Africa, along with Australia, is indeed one of the two host countries of the SKA Observatory (SKAO) radio telescopes, scientific instruments that promise to revolutionize our understanding of the universe.
The official announcement of the Head of State comes after a unanimous vote of the SKAO Council, having accepted the fact of counting France among its members. It makes France the first country to join SKAO, beyond its seven founding members : Australia, China, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
In a joint statement issued at the end of the state visit, President Emmanuel Macron and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted a number of areas that the SKA project was addressing, including business creation, and education and skills development for the future.
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