The conference themed - investment, a key lever for driving sustainable economic development - is set to be held on 16 November 2022 at the East London International Convention Centre (ICC).
The Conference will bring together investors from across globe to explore investment opportunities in the Eastern Cape. Companies that already have investments in the province and are expanding their operations as well new investors looking at making the Eastern Cape their business home, are expected to announce their investments.
The Conference is expected to afford the Eastern Cape province an opportunity to align earmarked investments with public sector economy stimulation programmes to bolster the transformation of the economy and advance inclusivity growth. With the province facing the highest rate of unemployment, the provincial government is looking at harvesting all possible benefits towards job creation and equitable economic development of the province.
The Conference is also anticipated to bring to the fore” district and local level investment opportunities with the two Eastern Cape metropolitan and six district municipalities geared to showcase their investment projects. Speaking on behalf of the ECSECC and the ECDC, a member of the organising team remarked that they hope to see this event catalysing new investments to address under-investment in some regions of the province. The Director-General, Mr Mbulelo Sogoni remarked that he wishes to see the Conference strengthening sectoral investment linkages to improve the provincial investment projects pipeline.
Speaking ahead of the Conference, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane said, the Eastern Cape province will continue to press for large scale economic infrastructure investments in the province as these will help in stimulating economic growth and employment creation.” Mabuyane further said that his department is in the process of establishing a provincial investment council (PIC) whose membership shall incorporate industry, large corporates, established business chamber representatives and CEOs of the provincial state entities. This structure, which is to be chaired by the Premier is intended at improving the interface and coordination between government and industry players on trade and investment matters. In his remarks, Premier Mabuyane also expressed his wish to see broad based participation at the coming conference with local government in general and the small, micro and medium enterprise (SMME) community joining to explore business and investment opportunities.
