The location of Ekurhuleni as an arrival city and meeting point for South Africans, Africans and citizens of the world, has affirmed the city's ideal positioning to host the Manufacturing Indaba, which is bringing together the country's manufacturing leaders and investors to find a way to boost job creation in this sector.
"The City of Ekurhuleni's participation in this Inaugural Manufacturing Indaba is critical to our prospects of developing the region and our plans to revive the manufacturing sector," says Executive Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, Cllr Mondli Gungubele.
Liz Hart is Managing Director of the organising company, Siyenza. "We are delighted that the City of Ekurhuleni has come on board as an endorsing partner of the Manufacturing Indaba," says Hart. "We are very pleased with the launch of the Manufacturing Indaba because we see the growth potential for job creation and skills development of this sector. Our economy desperately needs a strong and innovative manufacturing base and we must continue to work together to promote prosperity through manufacturing, science and innovation," adds Hart.
Ekurhuleni, to the east of Johannesburg, is home to just over a quarter of the 12 million inhabitants of Gauteng. The socio-economic profile of the city mirrors that of the Gauteng Province.
Since 1994, the city has facilitated and approved public and private investments with a market valuation of approximately R75bn. Amongst these investments are notable developments such as Carnival City Casino and Mall in Brakpan; Emperors Palace and Birchwood in Boksburg; upmarket golf estates such as Glendower, Ebotse and Serengeti; Toyota Parts Centre on Atlas Road; expansion of Unilever Homecare in Boksburg; expansion of the Nampak Glass plant in Roodekop, expansion of OR Tambo International Airport; and the Consol Glass plant in Nigel.
"Our Aerotropolis programme integrates a range of flagship interventions, such as the revitalisation of the manufacturing sector, the regeneration of CBDs and townships and their respective local economies, the revitalisation and harnessing of open spaces and precincts around lakes and wetlands, the building of connectivity of the city through an integrated rapid transit system, and the building of a smart city through investing in digital infrastructure for both municipal and citizen use," adds Executive Mayor, Cllr Gungubele.
The city is confident that it can realise an average growth rate of between 6% and 8% year on year over the medium term, which will help to target youth skills development and job opportunities and various other measures to improve the transition of youth from school to work.
The Manufacturing Indaba is also supported by the Manufacturing Circle, which is a lobbying and advocacy body that interacts with government and other stakeholders in order to review, debate and help formulate policies which will have a positive impact on South Africa's manufacturing base. It is made up of a number of South Africa's leading medium to large manufacturing companies from a wide range of industries.
Siyenza is no stranger to hosting large-scale business events that are strategically formulated to promote Africa as a business region of choice. The company's Africa Energy Indaba is the continent's premier energy event, endorsed by the World Energy Council and South African National Energy Association. The Infrastructure Africa Business Forum is its other main event, which is hosted in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development.
Click here to download the draft programme of the Manufacturing Indaba.
