THE signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa signifies a significant step towards fostering collaboration and synergy between these two key entities.
In a statement from the NMB Business Chamber, they indicated that by combining the resources and expertise the parties aim at strengthening the business environment, not only within Nelson Mandela Bay but also in sharing learnings at a national level.
The chamber already has agreements and strong links nationally with leading organisations, such as the National Association of Automotive and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam), National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa),and the Automotive Industry Development Centre – EC (AIDC-EC), with the signing of MoUs solidifying some of these partnerships. In addition to this, the chamber has fostered collaborative links with key stakeholders, such as the Eastern Cape Development Corporation and the Presidential Climate Commission.
Chamber CEO, Denise van Huyssteen, said these links and partnerships further promote the chamber’s vision of advocating for the metro’s developmental agenda at a national level. “What also underscores the partnership is the commitment to collaborate in identifying opportunities aimed at retaining and creating investment and jobs, and a shared vision of retaining manufacturing locally and on a national level.”
This aligns with the chamber’s Local Economy Reinvention Think Tank which is focused on leveraging the metro’s unique value proposition, by positioning it as a Bay of Opportunity to remain competitive in the face of massive disruptive changes which are happening globally and locally.
“Importantly, the goal is to position the metro as a diverse manufacturing base on the African continent, and the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa provides a solid base in this regard,” says Van Huyssteen.
“We are also encouraged by the council’s commitment in encouraging its members to participate in chamber interventions, which are aimed at mobilising businesses to collaborate with stakeholders to find and implement solutions which improve the ease of doing business,” says Van Huyssteen.
“This is all centred on utilising our respective strengths and reaching to drive action and positive outcomes, which serve the best interests of the economy.”
The chamber has a number of interventions in place focused on addressing enabling environment challenges that impact the ease of doing business in the metro.
“As a business community we have hopes in the future – we know that this is the Bay of Opportunity.
“It starts with all of us believing in the potential and taking action to drive things forward in the right direction,” she says.
Zinhle Tyikwe, CEO of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA), hailed the partnership as a significant milestone that underpins the association’s focus on identifying opportunities to foster economic growth and social cohesion across the country.
“CGCSA has, through the CGCSA Foundation, committed to working and engaging with municipalities and metros to address such key issues as infrastructure bottlenecks, energy and water security, in order to retain and attract local investment.
“Through these interventions, our members who have significant operations across metros such as Nelson Mandela Bay will able to trade better, create value and jobs and sustain livelihoods.
“They can only do so if we forge mutually sustainable public-private partnerships based on a shared vision of inclusive growth which South Africa desperately needs,” says Tyikwe.
