Cape Town – The Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, has urged investors to partner-up with government and invest in the country, saying South Africa is a stable country.
The Minister said this on the side-lines of the Invest in Africa Conference in Bishopscourt, in Cape Town, on Tuesday.
Invest Africa was founded in 2013 as a platform for business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs to gain insight and exposure to information and opportunities from Africa.
“The National Development Plan (NDP) is properly anchored in South Africa and builds on a notion of a public private partnership.
“Government alone cannot be able to succeed without the private sector and all the important stakeholders of our country.
“The NDP has been approved and endorsed by our government, but more importantly, the private sector itself.
“We invite you all as investors to join us in this journey to help build a South Africa that is united, a South Africa that is stronger but more importantly, a South Africa that is prosperous. South Africa is open for business, for partnership, for development, for common prosperity of all,” he said.
The Minister said while South Africa was faced with a sluggish economy that was hit by domestic issues like drought, as well as global events like the drop in commodity prices, the country was turning the corner.
“You may like to know why we like you as investors to come to South Africa. Firstly, you may be aware of the sluggish economic growth that we are facing with the projected 1.3% growth in 2017.
“But as a South African Government we are deeply committed to do the right things – to support investment and confidence. This will ensure that our economic recovery is more rapid. The infrastructure investment – mainly in energy, transport and telecommunications is going to be accelerated going forward.
“Our message to you this evening as investors is that we are a stable country and stable and sustainable public finances, the reforms that we are doing in the economy, all those are anchored around our plan for this Vision 2030,” he said.
The Minister said the NDP is one of those blue prints that can be able to propel us to the South Africa that we desire by the year 2030.
He said partnerships that have been forged between government and the private sector has seen an influx of investments in key regions in the country, including investments in natural gas in Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, in Coega in the Eastern Cape, amongst others.
“We therefore ask all of you … that we are going to be turning the corner as South Africans because there is partnership between government, the private sector, organised labour and all stakeholders so that this vision is not the vision of the government alone. We as government will not be able to succeed unless there is partnership with the private sector and organised labour so that we can be able to forge ahead in building a South Africa of our dreams that is united, non-sexist, democratic and more importantly, prosperous,” he said.
Minister Radebe later interacted with a network of decision makers at top global organisations, fund managers, private investors, family offices, entrepreneurs, and policy makers all with a common interest in Africa.
Investment prospects in SA encouraging
Mark Simmonds, the Chairman of the Invest Africa Advisory Board, who is also an ex UK Minister for Africa, said the Minister’s comments about investment prospects in the country were very encouraging.
“It is very encouraging hearing the appetite to facilitate greater inward investment – both here in South Africa but also in the rest of the continent.
“There is no question in my mind that the future is attracting the private sector to help create jobs for Africans,” he said.
He said investors look for economic stability, political stability and good governance when investing in any economy.
Simmonds also said that investors also lean towards governments that are doing everything they can to improve the lives for their people. – SAnews.gov.za
