Dti Minister to address Buy Local Summit
Pretoria – Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies is expected to address the Buy Local Summit on Tuesday.
To be hosted at the Sandton Convention Centre, the two-day 6th Proudly South African Buy Local Summit will kick off on Monday.
Minister Davies said government has recognised the promoting of locally produced goods, as a stimulus for growth in the domestic manufacturing sector and job creation. Government has developed and implemented a number of strategies to assist the local manufacturing industry with a renewed drive towards local procurement.
“The manufacturing sector has the highest economic and employment multipliers than any sector. Therefore, it plays a critical and indispensable role as a driver of innovation and productivity growth. It should increasingly provide the capital goods and equipment inputs required for the infrastructure which is central to the country’s growth strategy while, more generally, ‘feeding’ locally manufactured inputs,” said Davies Minister.
He added that the buy local message is an on-going call to action, to the entire country, from government to private companies, small and medium enterprises, big business, as well as ordinary consumers.
“Underlining all our efforts is the realisation that the growth of our economy has a direct impact on job stimulation as a result of making buy local choices at all levels. By buying locally grown, produced or manufactured goods or services, businesses grow, thereby stimulating economic growth and sustainable job creation.”
Minister Davies added that strong persuasive initiatives are required to secure greater private sector support for local manufacturing, a contribution that large companies in particular are well-placed to make, given their significant procurement spend.