A new auditorium opened today at Cape Town's Science Centre by South Africa's Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor and SAP executive board member, Robert Enslin cost the enterprise application software company R1 million.

Enslin said in a statement that the motivation behind the investment is to impart needed skills to the youth.

"Africa's large youth population and positive economic growth potential primes the continent to play a leading role in the digital economy. However, successfully navigating the complexities presented by vast amounts of data in today's hyper-connected world requires excellent Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills. We urgently need to address the scarcity of STEM skills among our youth."

"We are short of skills and must fill the gap," said Pandor. The department decided to open the auditorium's doors as part of National Science Week, which runs until 8 August.

Julie Cleverdon, director of the Cape Town Science Centre, says the new facility will prove useful as the launch pad for the Africa Code Week initiative which will reach out to 20 000 children from 17 african countries.

"What SAP has done is they have initiate something called Africa code week mobilising as many organisations across africa to teach and host coding workshops. The Science Centre is part of the founding group of organisations and we are going to help drive this initiative through Africa."

Cleverdon also told ITWeb Africa that the centre will host coding workshops at the auditorium and drive the project through the Western Cape and throughout the continent. She added that any other African countries can sign up for Africa Code Week by visiting the organisation's website.

After the opening the new facility will be rented out in order to generate revenue and sustain the project.