Prominent speakers and facilitators will be shedding light about pertinent issues that are currently affecting the economy of Nelson Mandela Bay at The Mandela Bay Development Agency’s Lifestyle Conference on Friday, September 23.
The future of the controversial manganese ore facility in the Port Elizabeth harbour could come under the spotlight when Transnet Port Terminals Chief Operating Officer Nosipho Damasane delivers the keynote address at the Lifestyle Conference.
Damasane has an intimate knowledge of the Port Elizabeth harbour having served as General Manager Operations for the Port Elizabeth and East London ports in the past, the first woman in the organisation to hold an operational position. She has worked with port terminals for the past 12 years gaining a wealth of experience in the process.
While Transnet has agreed to move the manganese facility, it has as yet not announced whether it will relocate it to Coega or Saldanha and whether it will agree to a waterfront development in a section of the harbour or retain it for port use.
Damasane could provide some pointers on Transnet Port Terminals thinking on these issues following the appointment of Brian Molefe as CEO of the transport parastatal.
For the construction and property industries that are the target audience for the Lifestyle Conference along with business and political leaders, the future of the Port Elizabeth harbour is of considerable interest.
She may also provide some further information on the development of the deepwater Port of Ngqura as a transshipment hub.
The one-day conference that will also see the launch of Route 67 that celebrates through public art the 67 years that former President Nelson Mandela devoted to public life.
The MBDA has also lined up a number of excellent speakers for the conference:
- Professor Nick Binedell of the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBBS) will speak on the role of cities in making regions grow
- Achmat Dangor, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation will address the issue of arts, crafts and culture as an economically viable sector, and
- Donne Putter of the Green Building Council of South Africa will speak on “Tourism and Greening” and how to reduce our carbon footprint.
The programme facilitators for the conference include former Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber CEO, Odwa Mtati who is now Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism Board Chairperson as well as local business woman and academic, Bridgette Gasa.
MBDA CEO Pierre Voges says he believes that all these topics “will assist the city in our development and will open our minds as we explore local economic development opportunities in Nelson Mandela Bay”.
Voges says the conference, to be held at the Athenaeum in Central will also provide the MBDA with the opportunity to highlight past and present projects, together with its vision for future development projects and to attract much needed businesses and investors to the Nelson Mandela Bay CBD, townships, North End precinct and Telkom Park land area.
“After all of the investment that MBDA together with the National Lottery Fund is making in Arts & Culture in the Nelson Mandela Bay, we are looking forward to hear what Acmat Dangor has to say about the Economics of Art in this region” he added. According to Arts & Culture minister Paul Matshatile, the Arts, Culture and heritage sector is set to be one of the key role-players in driving the economy of South Africa and creating jobs.
Alan Straton
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