With BRICS comes opportunities for South Africa to evolve!
Prestigious press conference meant to prepare media and journalists with information of South Africa (China) international industrial expo taking place at the Sandton convention centre from August 31 until September 1.
The China Golden Bridge Group, in cooperation with the Gauteng Economic Development Department, hosted the South Africa International Industrial Expo and China (South Africa) International Trade Expo press conference at the Maslow Hotel on August 21.
The presser was to inform the media about the expo which will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre from August 31 until September 1.
Following a note of welcome from the deputy general manager of Golden Bridge Expo South Africa, Steve Zhou, other keynote speakers were the deputy director general for the Gauteng Department Of Economic Development, Bulumko Nelana; vice-president of the South Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Niel Pollock; information officer at Small Enterprise Development Agency, Cumisa Majavu; CEO of the National Black Business Caucus, Volchere Kgekwane; and business development manager at The Platinum Incubator, Oratile Segakweng.
Nelana said, “This expo creates an opportunity for us to link SMMEs in the townships, and generally small businesses in Gauteng, with businesses from China – initially for retail and services opportunities but in the medium-term for manufacturing partnerships. “Manufacturing absorbs many people into the jobs market, building skills, transferring technology, and enabling the economy to grow more sustainably.”
Pollock spoke on the role journalists played within the spaces created by these sorts of partnerships.
“We can either use our journalism to plant seeds and grow forests, or take bricks and build a wall. A forest creates a huge ecosystem of many opportunities,” Pollock said. “Because you’ve got an audience which you’re speaking to, you need to frame the questions for that audience in a way that they can understand.”
Majavu contextualised her department’s business relationship with China Golden Bridge.
“We work with Golden Bridge in this expo to bring about opportunities for our clients,” said Majavu. “This allows them to access foreign markets, build eco-systems with foreign businesses, and just build their network for their businesses and create possibilities of product distribution to foreign markets.”
Kgekwane best summed up the opportunities availed to South Africa and Africa through networks availed by BRICS partnerships.
“Trade between South Africa and China is of paramount importance because it is how we are going to all learn from each other, to innovate with each other, and to grow and build with each other. We need to take such opportunities seriously because they allow us to access information we might not have had before,” Kgekwane said.
“As Africa, we need to start presenting ourselves in a different way from being recipients of aid and assistance.”
Related article:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/333514/brics-summit-fly-by/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/333430/3rd-brics-summit-hosted-by-south-africa/
