{"id":232,"date":"2019-04-06T17:50:39","date_gmt":"2019-04-06T15:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imconsulting.co.za\/?p=232"},"modified":"2019-04-06T18:04:51","modified_gmt":"2019-04-06T16:04:51","slug":"proudly-south-african-buy-local-summit-expo-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imconsulting.co.za\/articles-and-information\/proudly-south-african-buy-local-summit-expo-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Proudly South African Buy Local Summit and Expo 2019 News"},"content":{"rendered":"
As Members of the Proudly South African family, Impumelelo Consulting attended the Proudly South African Buy Local Summit And Expo 2019 at the Sandton Convention Centre which took place on the 12th<\/sup> and 13th<\/sup> of March 2019, the exact same days as the National Skills Development Summit.<\/p>\n A collection of business experts, SMMEs and multinational corporations \u2013 those that are making a significant contribution to the SA economy in particular \u2013 for many,\u00a0the gathering<\/a>\u00a0was more than just another day of listening to experts share ideas on how they can take their enterprises to the next level.<\/p>\n The \u201cbuy local\u201d ethos reverberated throughout many of the day\u2019s discussions, reminding us as a nation that \u201cwe have the capability and ability to produce the best, and that we have pockets of excellence that warrant recognition and celebration,\u201d said Cassel Mathale, deputy Minister of Small Business Development.<\/p>\n In his speech, Mathale highlighted the importance of\u00a0buying locally produced goods<\/a>\u00a0as a catalyst to tackling the triple challenges of unemployment, inequality and poverty. \u201cThis is one of the few initiatives that provides opportunities for SMMEs and cooperatives to participate in the value chains of establishing viable businesses. Access to markets and procurement opportunities remain one of the serious challenges that are preventing SMMEs from reaching their fullest potential and ultimately participating and benefitting from the value streams of our economy. Hence it\u2019s a great pleasure for me to be part of this summit as we discuss innovative ways to address the imperatives of localization in both the private and public sectors in growing our economies, creating jobs and broadening our skill base.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cDespite the many strides made as a country in the past 25 years, we are still battling the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Nelson Mandela started the road towards us defeating these challenges, and we are on this journey today led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. We need to intensify our efforts to radically transform our country by ensuring that SMMEs and cooperatives occupy their rightful space within the value stream of the economy. As the department of small business development, we have been making consented efforts irrespective of the limited media resources allocated to assist many people in business and those aspiring to venture into entrepreneurship. We know and understand that unless we collaborate with other departments, the private sector and the community at large, we will not have achieved this.\u201d<\/p>\n Collaborations key to driving localization<\/strong><\/p>\n To intensify efforts, he said the ministry has put in place a number of initiatives to support and advance the development of SMMEs and cooperatives which have borne some good results. \u201cHowever, looking at the enormity of the challenges we have; the youth unemployment, the need for economic inclusion of women, and other vulnerable groups as well as the historical remnants of an education system focused on creating job seekers instead of job creators, all our efforts are a drop in the ocean and will remain as such if we do this alone. We need all hands-on deck. We are therefore excited about the collaborations with leaders of the industry, government departments and other entities in driving localization beyond this summit, thereby creating a demand for South African products and ultimately reducing\u00a0unemployment, poverty and inequality. Together we can do more.\u201d<\/p>\n Guided by the theme of the summit, \u2018Localisation Through Investment Led Re-industrialization\u2019, born as the result of the outcomes of the 2018 Presidential Job Summit, a lot still needs to be done by companies to grow the country\u2019s economy and increase job opportunities, he said. Touching on one of the resolutions of the Job Summit, \u2018the need for support for township and rural enterprises<\/a>\u2018, he said: \u201cIt is very difficult for one to talk about SMMEs without referring to the township and rural enterprises, many of which are located in these areas, including in the so called informal settlements. The success of these enterprises sorely relies on inputs such as requisite skills, mentoring, coaching, appropriate marketing and procurement systems as well as access to market opportunities both within the public and private sectors.\u201d<\/p>\n