Trade & Investment Forum – NMBM

On Wednesday, 25 August 2021, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality hosted the inaugural meeting of Nelson Mandela Bay’s Trade and Investment Forum.The purpose of this new forum is to serve as a strategic interface where initiatives and interventions aimed at improving the trade and investment prospects of Nelson Mandela Bay can be shared, implemented and coordinated across various economic stakeholders operating in the city region.

The establishment of the Forum was warmly welcomed by MMC Cllr Siyasanga Sijadu and the Metro’s Standing Committee for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture at its most recent Committee meeting. Cllr Sijadu had the following to say: “The intention of this Forum is not to replace any existing inter-organisational structures in the Metropole, but rather to ensure ongoing coordination and collaboration amongst key economic stakeholders and to ensure that these organisations are aligned and speak with one voice when it comes to issues and opportunities related to trade and investment in the Bay.”

Cllr Sijadu further said: “The key deliverables of the trade and investment forum include the improvement of investment facilitation services within and across the represented organisations, increased collaboration to investment attraction and identifying export opportunities, and well-coordinated promotional activity and up-to-date business intelligence”.

The Forum’s hybrid meeting took place virtually and in-person and was chaired by Mr Mpho Jonas, Director: Trade and Investment within the NMBM Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture Directorate (pictured).

The meeting included representatives from a broad base of Nelson Mandela Bay’s investment-related stakeholders, including: the Coega Development Corporation, Nelson Mandela University’s Faculty of Business of Economic Sciences, the iBhayi Small Business Chamber, Exporters Eastern Cape, as well as regional representatives from the Industrial Development Corporation, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and Transnet National Ports Authority.

Representatives from the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council (ECSECC) and the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber (NMBBC) joined NMBM officials physically for the meeting, which was kindly hosted by the NMBBC. Additional stakeholders were also identified during the course of the first meeting for inclusion in future engagements.

The NMBM’s acting Executive Director for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture, Mr Wandisile Makwabe, commented as follows on the establishment of the Forum: “The main advantage to be gathered from having such a Forum working collaboratively to improve Nelson Mandela Bay’s value proposition for investors and exporters are well-informed and well-coordinated interventions in support of our economic recovery.”

Photo Caption:

Some of physical participants at the inaugural meeting of the Trade and Investment Forum

From left to right: Viwe Fokwebe (ECSECC), Mpho Jonas (NMBM) Denise van Huyssteen (NMBBC) and Jeremy Dobbin (NMBM)