South Africa’s Black Industrialists will take centre stage on Wednesday at a conference, exhibition and awards ceremony that will be hosted by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) at the Sandton Convention Centre.

Addressing media in Pretoria on Monday, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel said more than 1 200 delegates will attend the second Black Industrialists and Exporters Conference, which will be held under the theme, ‘Black Industrialists – Catalysing Economic Growth and Jobs’.

The conference, which is set to take place on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act (B-BBEE Act), will shine the spotlight on the achievements, successes, opportunities and strides made by the Black Industrialists Programme since its inception in 2016.

The high-level panel discussions will focus on the role of private sector procurement, new value chains, access to financing for emerging black business and how existing
systems militate against emerging black business.

‘Over the last 13 years, the dtic group approved significant levels of funding to a large number of firms.

‘In 2023, the dtic, however, shifted its performance indicators to focus on the impact of its work measured by turnover and number of jobs sustained by Black Industrialists, reinforcing the State’s commitment to promoting emerging enterprises in achieving inclusive industrialisation, while creating more job opportunities.

‘Our strategy aims to ensure that we secure greater representivity across the economy, all the while generating greater prosperity and employment,’ he said.

The conference will also discuss initiatives to further strengthen economic transformation in support of greater diversity in ownership in the economy.

Challenges faced by industrialists and exporters, such as access to funding, markets, technology and infrastructure for their businesses to grow, will also be addressed at the conference.

This years’ conference will feature 53 l
arge companies or procurers making pledges to buy from the growing class of Black Industrialists.

It will also comprise a marketplace showcasing about 200 black industrialists representing more than R10 billion in turnover in an array of sectors, including aerospace and defence, agro-processing, food and beverage automotive, capital equipment and machinery and healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

The conference will culminate in an awards ceremony aimed at recognising the contribution of Black Industrialists towards driving economic growth, social transformation and advancing inclusive entrepreneurship in the South African economy.

More than 200 entries have been received and 10 awards will be announced at the conference.

Source: South African Government News Agency