A DELEGATION from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in Switzerland visited the iLembe District Municipality to finalise a partnership agreement worth millions of Swiss Francs and which will boost growth in the district.
SECO held a joint executive committee meeting with Mandeni, KwaDukuza and iLembe municipalities at iLembe House.
This was followed by site visits to various Local and Economic Development (LED) projects in KwaDukuza and Mandeni, including the agri-hubs in Mandeni and the Tugela Bulk Water project in KwaDukuza.
SECO seeks to ease its partner countries’ integration into the world economy and promote economic growth that is socially responsible, as well as environmentally and climate friendly.
Head of Operations of the Economic Development Cooperation Directorate at SECO, Ivo Germann, said iLembe was chosen because it is a prime example of a centre of economic growth.
‘Even after the economic downfall, iLembe had the sharpest recovery and overcame the crisis.
‘It was able to stand up again and be part of sustaining growth in the country.
‘In iLembe, we don’t have to look for growth or create it,’ he said.
Germann mentioned that SECO’s investment would be R80-million over four years.
iLembe Deputy Mayor Cllr Dolly Shandu expressed the hope that the partnership would go beyond the initial four years set down to assist the district in achieving its vision – to become a world class African destination with excellent services and quality of life for its people by 2027.
The SECO/iLembe partnership is said to be in the same league as Gijima KZN, a development initiative started in 2003 by the provincial Economic Development and Tourism Department and the European Union with the aim of stimulating economic activity in KZN.
