The upcoming South African Premier Business Awards will recognise exceptional businesses and the businesspeople who drive them, says Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies.
Minister Davies said the awards, which will be held on Tuesday, will provide an opportunity for government and the country as a whole to recognise excellence.
“The awards are an opportunity for government, and South Africa as a whole, to recognise exceptional businesses and the businesspeople who drive them, ranging from emerging start-ups to established business institutions.
“These awards bring together all single-sectored awards, including technology, manufacturing and women in business. The awards honour companies and enterprises that promote the spirit of success and innovation along with job creation, business ethics and quality,” said Minister Davies on Friday.
The ceremony, which will be attended by almost 30 finalists contesting for top honours in ten categories, will be hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) in partnership with Proudly South African and Brand South Africa.
Now in their fifth year, the awards will take place under the theme Rewarding Business Excellence at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Started in 2013, the awards aim to recognise and honour South African enterprises that invest in human and technical resources in various programmes that remain domestically and internationally competitive, as well as create employment opportunities for the country’s citizens.
“Doing business in South Africa can no doubt be challenging, but it is organisations such as those that we will be honouring next week that are weathering the storm and making the country proud. The awards encourage entrepreneurs who compete in categories that are aligned to the strategic focus of the dti’s Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP),” said the Minister.
IPAP complements the National Development Plan (NDP) and New Growth Path (NGP) that serve as an overarching instrument for the development and implementation of the dti’s strategies, policies and related pieces of legislation and regulation.
“This year the Black Industrialist Award will be acknowledged as the most prestigious category. In doing so, government is demonstrating its commitment to supporting and increasing the participation of black people in the industrial space. The Black Industrialist Award recognises excellence by a majority black-owned enterprise that is active in the manufacturing sector, as prioritised by IPAP,” he said.
Minister Davies also took the opportunity to thank the sponsors of this year’s awards which include the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Old Mutual and Tsogo Sun.
“We are thankful to all our sponsors. It is through these committed public-private partnerships that we can truly move South Africa forward,” said the Minister. - SAnews.gov.za
