The City of Johannesburg Region A and Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JCCI) have launched a joint Regional Economic Forum to identify opportunities for local businesses and address obstacles to expansion and growth.
The JCCI and CoJ Regional Economic Forum will be driven by a task team of local businesses with the full support of the City of Johannesburg and Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
The parties undertake to co-operate and work together for the mutual benefit of their organisations and communities that they serve.
“For Region A to have this solid partnership with business it was because of the initiation of the leadership and collaboration with JCCI. We are here to serve you and ensure that there is a service delivery in this region,” says Abigail Ndlovu, Regional Director.
“As you grow your businesses, we will increase and improve our services to ensure that your businesses are attractive to your costumers. As you promote your products, we will promote our services within your products. When you want to pitch your business, we will make sure that your space is customer and environmental friendly,” says Ndlovu.
The forum focuses on export support in the form of an Incubation Hub, foreign investment, networking and lobbying. The meetings will take place monthly with representatives from various economic sectors that include property development, urban development, manufacturing, information and communication technology, and urban agriculture.
The forum will be chaired by Jacki Luthuli, JCCI Vice-President, who notes that Joburg has just hosted BRICS, where Inter Regional Trade was recognised as key economic stimulus for regional economic growth prosperity.
“Our aim is to add value, capacity and visibility to the service provided by the parties. This forum comes at a time when we reflect on the life of one of Nelson Mandela through the centenary tribute celebrations. We are challenged to be the change we want to see in our business, our community, our country, our continent and the world,” says Luthuli.
An excited Nondumiso Phaahla, who is an entrepreneur and founder of Setsong natural tea range, says the forum will assist her company promote its products and create jobs for local residents.
Setsong tea is made up of wild harvested, organic African tea products found in the natural landscapes of South Africa more prominently within the rural areas of Limpopo.
Anne Mogadingoane of Absolute Style Wines exhibited her wine products that included the Absolute Merlot 2013, Absolute Chardonnay, Absolute Cabernet and Absolute Rose during the launch of the JCCI and Region A Economic Forum yesterday.
