The event will provide an opportunity for constructive engagement between government and key stakeholders on interventions that are required to grow and sustain township and rural economies
PRETORIA, South Africa, May 16, 2018,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Bulelani Magwanishe and the MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism in Mpumalanga, Mr Sikhumbuzo Kholwane will host an interactive business breakfast dialogue on the Rural and Township Industrial Economy at the TV Trust Community Hall, Kabokweni, Mbombela Local Municipality, Mpumalanga on Monday, 21 May 2018.
The event will provide an opportunity for constructive engagement between government and key stakeholders on interventions that are required to grow and sustain township and rural economies. Participants will include business and industry leaders, relevant experts, government officials and other stakeholders from the community.
According to Deputy Minister Magwanishe, the business dialogue is aimed at creating a platform for collaboration between the public and private sectors in developing support mechanisms for rural and township economies. The breakfast dialogue, as well as the seminar that will follow immediately after the dialogue, is part of the build-up to the presidential Summit on the Rural and Township Economies that will be hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) in partnership with the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Advisory Council in the Eastern Cape in July 2018.
“The rural and township economies form an integral part of our society and we need to ensure that these economies form part of the mainstream economy. This session will serve as a platform to deliberate on topical issues that impact on these economies. It will also allow the intellectuals, specialists, academia, the public and private sector and individuals to engage government on how best to work towards developing the rural and township economy,” says Magwanishe.
He adds that he expects these sessions to result in partnership between large and small businesses specifically township and rural businesses, public and private sector collaboration and joint projects in support of socio-economic and industrial development.
“This will inform government on how best to work towards developing the rural and township economy which has a huge potential to drive economic growth.” says Mr Magwanishe
.MEC Kholwane says the breakfast session and the provincial seminar will provide the Mpumalanga entrepreneurs, small business owners, the co-operatives and Black Industrialists an opportunity to influence policy and the discussions that will take place at the national summit on the rural and township economies which will take place later this year.
“We value the contribution of the private sector in enterprise development. It is therefore important that government and the private sector collaborate in developing the rural and township economies with the objective of creating jobs and growing our provincial economy.” adds MEC Kholwane.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of The Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa.
