PREMIER'S ADDRESS
Mr Chairman
Distinguished Business Leaders from the province and other parts of the country.
Delegates,
ladies and gentlemen.
I am very pleased to welcome you to this lovely province.
I must also thank you most sincerely for inviting me to address such an august gathering. It is an indication that we are serious about the partnership between government and business in creating jobs and thus reducing crime and poverty.
I would therefore like to take this opportunity, speaking on behalf of the governments of our province, to thank all Nafcoc members and other business people for their sustained interest in the future of our province.
As a region, we remain fmnly committed to the objectives of- democracy, peace and stability; high and sustained rates of economic growth and development and a continuous improvement in the standards of living of our people;
We are also committed to the modemisation of our economies to ensure that they respond successfully to the process of globalisation; and overcoming the major social problems we face such as the scourge of HIV/AIDS, land mines, crime and corruption. Undoubtedly, delegates will have an opportunity to discuss all these matters during the course of your meeting.
What those discussion will also confirm is that,,, as a province, we are determined to do everything in our power ourselves to address all these challenges, drawing on all the resources and talents within our region.
Friends, the executive committee in this province has just returned from a two-day retreat to discuss the way forward. I find myself wondering if you did not cleverly planned your conference to coincide with our Cabinet retreat so you could be the first to get the economic vision of the province.
From the meeting it was clearly stated that we needed to form an all- weather partnership with business, labour and other stakeholders which will significantly improve our chances of success.
Our economic development revolves around a number of strategic plans.
- Facilitating the productive working relationship between labour, business and the three spheres of govenunent in managing the economy
- Optimal promotion of productive investment to achieve economic growth through stimulating the development of the respective sectors according to competitive advantage and long-term sustainability
- The optimal development of the SMME sector with a view at the integration of the emerging entrepreneur into the mainstream economy
- The optimal promotion of fair trade and consumerism
- The optimal development and promotion of the province's gaming industry as a potential source for entrepreneurial growth and employment opportunities
And facilitating the identification of trade opportunities and markets to contribute to economic growth. Nice sounding phrases you may say. To achieve this vision we will need to increase economic growth to al least 60% and decrease unemployment to 20%. We shall also need to facilitate the increase of Mpumalanga's internal trade by 6% - 10%
Mr Chairman, we shall also need to Increase the number of viable small, medium and micro enterprises each by at least 10% per annum. Now that the lottery licence had been granted, we expect to reap the benefits thereof in a few years time. We believe that government's income will be increased to at least R30 million per year through gaming.
I am serious when I say it is my government's commitment to establish Mpumalanga as one of the top three local and foreign direct investment regions in South Africa. As government we will create the necessary tools for you to expand your business and help us in job creation. It is our belief that government does not create jobs but instead creates an enabling environment for business to function.
Finally, Ladies and gentlemen we undertake to facilitate at least three major viable clack economic empowerment projects per year,, increase Facilitate the increase of provincial export by 20% per ann-um and adopt and implement the Public Private Partnership Programme policy in the province.
As a province we are very interested that we do achieve the objective of the balanced economic development of our region. A governments, we will continue to encourage this process. As we have said, we will also maintain our stance on macro-economic questions, being convinced that only in this way will we contribute to the long-term health of our economy.
As government we will also continue and enhance our attention to other matters I mentioned earlie.r such as HIV/AIDS, crime and corruption. I have no doubt that progress will be achieved in all these areas. Once again, we count on the private sector, we count on the private sector, both foreign and domestic, to join hands with us on all these matters, for the mutual benefit.
We look forward to an open dialogue among us and successful deliberations as we all work together to build the better life which is surely due to every human being.
Thank you.