ADVANCED
MANUFACTURING CAN DRIVE INDUSTRILIASATION – MINISTER DAVIES
The Minister of
Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies says advanced manufacturing can drive
industrialisation and create sustainable jobs. Minister Rob Davies was speaking
at the two-day Annual Manufacturing Indaba that started in Kempton Park.
The aim of the
conference is to boost the growth potential of key manufacturing industry
sectors, and to provide a platform for informative and interactive sessions
with the prime movers of the nation’s manufacturing sectors.
“Manufacturing is
critical to the South African economy and it can be used to create new
sustainable growth through the diversification of our economy. This can lead to
productive, active and inclusive higher levels of advanced manufacturing and
industrialisation,” said Minister Davies.
He added that one
could not separate job creation and industrialisation as they go hand in hand
and that South Africans and the rest of the continent need to move up the value
chain and diversify their economies.
“Real opportunities
for the market lie in the African market and we need to industrialise as a
continent. We have to find ourselves a different niche in a changing African
market through strategic cross-border infrastructure upgrading, complementary
natural resource development, integrated industrialisation, reductions in
inter-state red tape and rapidly expanding intra- and inter-regional trade,”
said Davies.
Davies further
explained that extraction and exporting played a small part in the industry
turn-over and that if government and the private sector worked closely with and
support local manufacturers export and competitiveness can be raised.
The Chairperson of
the Manufacturing Circle, Mr Bruce Strong said the manufacturing industry
enables South Africa to create more jobs.
“The industry is
important in that it employs 1.6 million people and contributes 12% to the
Gross Domestic Products. This has led to many skilled people employed and
sustained in the long-term,” he said.
While he agreed
that there was a market access in Africa, Strong said the manufacturing
industry still needed to gear up in order to be competitive
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