JAKARTA - South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said here Tuesday that infrastructure holds great potential for Asian-African cooperation.

The deputy president also called for Asian countries with capital and technical expertise to partner with Africa.

"Africa's ability to trade is hampered by a lack of physical infrastructure," Ramaphosa said while addressing the Asian- African Business Summit

Many African countries, "with inadequate rail, road and port infrastructure, are simply unable to productively exploit their abundant natural resources," Ramaphosa said.

Asian countries, with their skills, capital, and technical and engineering expertise and know-how, can "partner with African countries in developing this critical area," he stressed.

The South African deputy president, who represented President Jacob Zuma in a series of meetings here, said that a number of Asian countries are participating actively in infrastructure development projects on the African continent. "We say may this continue," Ramaphosa added.