Pretoria - South African Airways (SAA) is inviting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to participate in its series of Supplier Engagement Summits.
“In support of the country’s national developmental goals, SAA is inviting small to medium enterprises (especially those who are 50% or black, black women, youth owned, disabled people and military veterans owned businesses) to the North West Province Supplier Engagement Summit,” said SAA on Thursday.
This as SAA is today running the sixth supplier summit in Mahikeng in the North West as part of a nationwide initiative.
Today’s engagement is the first supplier engagement summit in the North West province.
The national carrier said it is continuing its drive to expose small to medium entrepreneurs, especially those from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, to procurement opportunities on offer at the national carrier.
The summit will provide an opportunity for SMEs to engage directly with the SAA group buyers, network and share experiences with other black-owned businesses.
In due course, SAA hopes to see an increasing number of SMEs enlist on the airline’s database of potential suppliers, thereby improving the mix and size of its potential supplier database.
It is SAA’s view that the SMEs will bid when the airline invites either the Request for Quotes (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP) tenders.
“The initiative, introduced in June this year, is the first of its kind in the South African aviation industry. We believe that there are a multitude of talented, skilled and successful black owned businesses in South Africa – a collective with whom we can engage and together work towards realising our country’s true potential,” said SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali.
Beyond the development of SMEs, SAA, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) with whom the airline signed a MoU, seeks to also support the development of large sized black-owned industries under the dti’s black industrialist programme.
The first of the series of summits kicked off in Midrand, Johannesburg; and soon thereafter Durban, Port Elizabeth, and Mbombela.
Today’s summit, which is being held at the Mmabatho Convention Centre, will conclude at 4pm. – SAnews.gov.za
