BLSA’s CEO’s Weekly Newsletter – President’s BUSA AGM address was positive for the business and government partnership
It is a good signal of the relationship between business and government that President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the annual general meeting of Business Unity South Africa last week. His speech highlighted many of the achievements that our partnership has led to, including five months of no load shedding. He noted the important progress on logistics, with business helping Transnet’s rail and port units with technical support and resources, as well as the work we are doing to support the fight against crime and corruption. The president also highlighted areas in which we need to do more work together: overhauling the visa regime to attract critical skills, investment and tourism, improving the funding of small businesses, and, perhaps most pressingly, working to tackle unemployment. I was also strongly encouraged by the president’s comments on prioritising the growth of exports by improving the global competitiveness of local industries, as well as streamlining export processes. Export competitiveness should be the focus of our industrial policy, and I hope the president’s words signal a shift from the previous administration’s focus on protectionism and localisation. The president also emphasised the importance of encouraging investment, referring to the role of public-private partnerships to efficiently bridge the […]
