The trade and industry department (dti) will host a seminar on its rural and township industrial economic development programme at the Velmore Conference Centre in Centurion, Pretoria on Wednesday, the dti said.
Participants would include business and industry, relevant experts, government officials, and stakeholders from the community, the dti said in a statement.
Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said the seminar would serve as a platform to deliberate on topical issues that impact on the rural and township economy.
“Township and rural economies are struggling, especially from an industrialisation perspective due to a number of factors, which include limited logistics, infrastructure, and investment, as well as instilling values that support sustainable development and socio-economic transformation of the country,” he said.
“The seminar seeks to put in the spotlight opportunities presented by these economies, as well as challenges that have to be overcome, with the objective of creating a platform for collaboration between the public and private sector in developing support mechanisms for the rural and townships economy,” Davies said.
The seminar will bring together intellectuals, specialists, academia, as well as public and private sector individuals who had been involved in various initiatives pertinent to the development of rural and township industrial economies.
“We expect that the discussions and ideas from the seminar will assist us a great deal in enriching the department’s rural and township industrial economic development programme which we are in the process of developing. This will be our flagship programme characterised by a drive to broaden economic participation in the lagging regions, specifically targeting the rural and township economies,” Davies said
Topics to be discussed at the seminar include rural and township viable business models, the role of the private sector in enabling the rural and township economy, innovation-led interventions for the rural and township economy, alternate financial interventions for the rural and township economy, and the social and economic infrastructure. (via African News Agency)
