“Nelson Mandela Bay is the Bay of Opportunity, and we want to stay here, grow here, attract new investment, create jobs and work together to unlock the potential of this remarkable place.”
That was the unified message delivered to deputy trade, industry and competition minister Andrew Whitfield when he visited the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber last month.
As the business community of Nelson Mandela Bay, we seized the opportunity to demonstrate that we are united and aligned in our vision for the Bay of Opportunity, as well as on our priorities and finding solutions to the challenges in the enabling environment, which are greatly needed to grow manufacturing as the anchor of our local economy.
The meeting brought together about 20 business leaders to deliver a collective message of belief and hope — along with serious requests for where national government intervention is needed to break through barriers to the success of this region.
It is not often that you will see leaders from across the Bay’s industrial sectors — automotive assembly and components, agriculture and agro-processing, steel and general manufacturing, beverages and hydrogen — assembled in one room to engage as a collective voice.
Incoming investor Stellantis, which is building a R3bn light commercial vehicle plant in the Coega SEZ, and Hive Hydrogen with their R105bn green ammonia plant investment in Coega, also participated in the discussions with Whitfield.
Particularly important was that their participation not only showed a good fit with the Bay’s priority sectors for new investment, but also how these investments open up opportunities for local business in their value chains.
The significance of having the senior leadership of these diverse sectors in one room was that it tangibly conveyed a united local business community, working together to put the advantages, opportunities and needs of Nelson Mandela Bay on the national agenda.
The message to the deputy minister was crystal clear — the business leaders of the Bay are committed to continuing to grow and strengthen their operations here, and they are united behind a shared vision and belief in realising the potential of the Bay of Opportunity — so that this can become the diverse manufacturing base on the African continent.
However, this potential can only be realised in a stable, predictable and enabling operating environment.
We shared the key advantages of the Bay of Opportunity: the two ports, logistics connectivity, depth of manufacturing expertise and skills anchored in the Bay’s status as SA’s automotive industry hub, strengths in advanced manufacturing technology and innovation, and our distinct lifestyle, education and natural environment advantages.
As a collective we have demonstrated our commitment to resurging the Bay by taking action and driving solutions to the challenges of the enabling environment, such as the 11 geographic business clusters operating across the metro and collaborative task teams with the metro on issues such as electricity, water and sanitation.
Alongside these, we are proactively driving to unlock the potential of the Bay of Opportunity through our “action arms” supporting business sustainability and growth — the Entrepreneurship Desk, Trade and Investment Desk, entrepreneur and exporter development, skills development, empowerment, networking, mentoring, training — and our forward-looking Local Economy Reinvention Think Tank looking to unlock opportunities in a hi-tech, green future economy.
While we are doing all in our power locally to work together to drive change, improve the enabling environment and unlock opportunities, many of the challenges we face require collaboration at national level, and the support and intervention of national government.
Challenges highlighted to the deputy minister included the impact of the rise of electric and hybrid vehicles on the local automotive sector, and the need to address issues hampering exports, review and update supporting policy frameworks, and review SA’s vehicle tax regime.
The issues around barriers to international trade and leveraging opportunities in regional, continental and international agreements and instruments — eg Agoa, Sadc-EU economic partnership, the African Continent Free Trade Agreement — are many, and have diverse impacts across the sectors represented.
These were unpacked in detail in our presentations.
We also discussed the enabling environment challenges of electricity and logistics, particularly the need for support to improve ports efficiencies and strengthen the north-south rail corridor — and the vital need to get the basics right to support the attraction and retention of investment and jobs.
There is also an urgent need to co-ordinate, strengthen and grow the development of relevant, technical skills to take up new opportunities and future-proof our skills pool.
In short, this unified business community of Nelson Mandela Bay laid it all out on the table for the deputy minister, co-ordinated and in detail, to show what is needed to strengthen what we have and unlock the potential that will grow and sustain our local economy and reverse unemployment and poverty.
Whitfield’s response and support was encouraging, to say the least.
In a LinkedIn post, he described the meeting as “inspiring” and the chamber as “a leader in its field with the work they are doing to bring business together to grow and solve problems”.
As with all engagements convened by the business chamber, we strive to depart with solid action items, and we did — along with the deputy minister’s commitment to further strengthen relations between the DTIC and business, and to continue engaging with us.
We foresee positive action coming. Watch this space.
Denise van Huyssteen is chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber.
HeraldLIVE
Business leaders united in vision for future of Nelson Mandela Bay
Columnist
“Nelson Mandela Bay is the Bay of Opportunity, and we want to stay here, grow here, attract new investment, create jobs and work together to unlock the potential of this remarkable place.”
That was the unified message delivered to deputy trade, industry and competition minister Andrew Whitfield when he visited the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber last month.
As the business community of Nelson Mandela Bay, we seized the opportunity to demonstrate that we are united and aligned in our vision for the Bay of Opportunity, as well as on our priorities and finding solutions to the challenges in the enabling environment, which are greatly needed to grow manufacturing as the anchor of our local economy.
The meeting brought together about 20 business leaders to deliver a collective message of belief and hope — along with serious requests for where national government intervention is needed to break through barriers to the success of this region.
It is not often that you will see leaders from across the Bay’s industrial sectors — automotive assembly and components, agriculture and agro-processing, steel and general manufacturing, beverages and hydrogen — assembled in one room to engage as a collective voice.
Incoming investor Stellantis, which is building a R3bn light commercial vehicle plant in the Coega SEZ, and Hive Hydrogen with their R105bn green ammonia plant investment in Coega, also participated in the discussions with Whitfield.
Particularly important was that their participation not only showed a good fit with the Bay’s priority sectors for new investment, but also how these investments open up opportunities for local business in their value chains.
The significance of having the senior leadership of these diverse sectors in one room was that it tangibly conveyed a united local business community, working together to put the advantages, opportunities and needs of Nelson Mandela Bay on the national agenda.
The message to the deputy minister was crystal clear — the business leaders of the Bay are committed to continuing to grow and strengthen their operations here, and they are united behind a shared vision and belief in realising the potential of the Bay of Opportunity — so that this can become the diverse manufacturing base on the African continent.
However, this potential can only be realised in a stable, predictable and enabling operating environment.
We shared the key advantages of the Bay of Opportunity: the two ports, logistics connectivity, depth of manufacturing expertise and skills anchored in the Bay’s status as SA’s automotive industry hub, strengths in advanced manufacturing technology and innovation, and our distinct lifestyle, education and natural environment advantages.
As a collective we have demonstrated our commitment to resurging the Bay by taking action and driving solutions to the challenges of the enabling environment, such as the 11 geographic business clusters operating across the metro and collaborative task teams with the metro on issues such as electricity, water and sanitation.
Alongside these, we are proactively driving to unlock the potential of the Bay of Opportunity through our “action arms” supporting business sustainability and growth — the Entrepreneurship Desk, Trade and Investment Desk, entrepreneur and exporter development, skills development, empowerment, networking, mentoring, training — and our forward-looking Local Economy Reinvention Think Tank looking to unlock opportunities in a hi-tech, green future economy.
While we are doing all in our power locally to work together to drive change, improve the enabling environment and unlock opportunities, many of the challenges we face require collaboration at national level, and the support and intervention of national government.
Challenges highlighted to the deputy minister included the impact of the rise of electric and hybrid vehicles on the local automotive sector, and the need to address issues hampering exports, review and update supporting policy frameworks, and review SA’s vehicle tax regime.
The issues around barriers to international trade and leveraging opportunities in regional, continental and international agreements and instruments — eg Agoa, Sadc-EU economic partnership, the African Continent Free Trade Agreement — are many, and have diverse impacts across the sectors represented.
These were unpacked in detail in our presentations.
We also discussed the enabling environment challenges of electricity and logistics, particularly the need for support to improve ports efficiencies and strengthen the north-south rail corridor — and the vital need to get the basics right to support the attraction and retention of investment and jobs.
There is also an urgent need to co-ordinate, strengthen and grow the development of relevant, technical skills to take up new opportunities and future-proof our skills pool.
In short, this unified business community of Nelson Mandela Bay laid it all out on the table for the deputy minister, co-ordinated and in detail, to show what is needed to strengthen what we have and unlock the potential that will grow and sustain our local economy and reverse unemployment and poverty.
Whitfield’s response and support was encouraging, to say the least.
In a LinkedIn post, he described the meeting as “inspiring” and the chamber as “a leader in its field with the work they are doing to bring business together to grow and solve problems”.
As with all engagements convened by the business chamber, we strive to depart with solid action items, and we did — along with the deputy minister’s commitment to further strengthen relations between the DTIC and business, and to continue engaging with us.
We foresee positive action coming. Watch this space.
Denise van Huyssteen is chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber.
HeraldLIVE
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