CAPE TOWN - South Africa's knowledge economy will be boosted by the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), the world's largest telescope, the country's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) said on Monday.

"The SKA will significantly support the expansion of South Africa's knowledge economy in general and high-technology industry specifically. The skills transfer will assist in addressing the skills challenge in South Africa," said the chamber's CEO Neren Rau.

The SKA Organization decided last week that South Africa will build the most portion of the project in partnership with other African countries, which include Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia, while the rest will be built in Austria.

The collaborative project between South Africa and African countries was a positive step forward in building stronger research and commercial ties in Africa, SACCI said.

Earlier, President Jacob Zuma congratulated the Ministry of Science and Technology, saying co-hosting the project with Australia means "Africa is indeed rising."

"South Africa is confident that the country will deliver on the expectations of the continent and world," Zuma said.

The SKA project, which will comprise 3,000 dish-shaped antennae spread over a wide area telescopes, is a global scientific enterprise to build one of the largest scientific instruments ever envisaged.

It is being designed to probe the edges of the universe and help scientists answer fundamental questions in astronomy, physics and cosmology, including the nature of dark energy and dark matter. The telescope will be about 50-100 times more sensitive than any other radio telescope on earth.

The SKA's construction is scheduled to start in 2016 and become fully operational in 2024.

Building the 2-billion-dollar project means that billions of rands would flow into the local economy, authorities said.

Developing large-scale astronomy facilities can become a powerful driver of scientific, socio-economic and human capital development throughout the continent of Africa, for the benefit of the world, said Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor.