Pretoria - KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu will today host the newly appointed Ambassador of Indonesia, Suprapato Martosetomo, in efforts to explore areas of cooperation between the province and Indonesia.
“We want to initiate arrangements with provinces in Indonesia in order to promote cooperation in areas such as tourism promotion, trade and industry, infrastructure development, agriculture and rural development.
“As KZN we are very firm and determined to move with speed with the implementation of our programme of action aimed at ensuring the integration of this province with economies of the world,” said the Premier.
The meeting between the two will take place in Durban.
The Premier said the province serves as an important hub for industrial development in sub-Saharan Africa due to its natural resources and well developed infrastructure.
“Economic activities in the province are mainly concentrated in Durban and Pietermaritzburg, with significant activities in Richards Bay, Ladysmith, and Newcastle as well as on the Ugu District.
“However, we want the remote areas of our province to be an integral part of economic development. We are encouraging potential investors to consider rural parts of our province for investments because of the vast track of land that is underdeveloped,” he explained.
The province wants its rural areas to benefit as part of its efforts is aimed at ensuring sustained and inclusive economic growth.
“In the long run, the provision of infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity and internet connectivity will make rural areas more attractive to potential foreign direct investment.
“It is to this end that we have embarked on a process to develop an Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan for the province. This plan will take stock of what it is that we have, will project what it is that we need to do and how to ensure the proper co-ordination of the provision of infrastructure by all spheres of government,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
