The NWDC did the province proud by raking in the award for the Best Exhibition Stand at the 2015 Manufacturing Indaba.

Marketing staff representing the NWDC at the Manufacturing Indaba’s exhibition, received the award from the Executive Mayor of the host city, Ekurhuleni, Councillor Mondli Gungubele during a cocktail evening and awards ceremony held on Monday, 29 June 2015

The Manufacturing Indaba is an annual conference and exhibition focusing on growing the South African  manufacturing sector. The 2015 event was  held at the Emperors  Palace Convention centre from 29 to 30 June 2015. A total of 110 exhibitors participated in the exhibition arena, supporting the dialogues and workshops held to meet and discuss collaborative ways of securing South Africa’s manufacturing future and achieving the growth objectives of the National Development Plan.

With the aim of providing market access opportunities to manufacturers from the North West Province, the NWDC invited and show cased three provincial companies at their exhibition stand, namely  Rethaka Trading who manufacture solar panel school bags from upcycled plastic,  Speedchem Manufacture, who have developed cleaning chemicals for the North West water conditions and the SEDA Platinum Incubator, manufacturing jewellery.

Said NWDC’s Acting CEO, Mr Lemogang Moletsane: “We are extremely honoured to have received this award, as above all, it acknowledges the ongoing work the NWDC is doing to empower our provincial SMMEs and provide them with access to markets. I thank our Board and our Shareholder, the FEED Department for their support in making this award possible.”

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies also spoke at the  two-day Annual Manufacturing Indaba. Below and extract from the related article, published on SAnews.gov.za

“Advanced manufacturing has the potential to drive industrialisation and create sustainable jobs, says Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies.

“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.

The aim of the conference is to boost the growth potential of key manufacturing industry sectors, and to provide a platform for informative sessions with the prime movers of the nation’s manufacturing sectors.

According to Minister Davies, one could not separate job creation and industrialisation as they go hand in hand. He said 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.”

Minister 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, 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 Product. This has led to many skilled people employed and sustained in the long-term,” he said.

While he agreed that there was market access in Africa, Strong said the manufacturing industry still needed to gear up in order to be competitive.