WE live, work, and play in the Bay of Opportunity.
Nelson Mandela Bay has immense potential and strategic advantages in economic, natural, and heritage assets, and our people – skilled, innovative, and friendly, with a can-do mindset.
As citizens and businesses, we have allowed ourselves to dwell in negativity and doubt about our capabilities for far too long. We have listened to others talk about switching off the lights, the “ghost on the coast”, the Windy City, the “armpit of South Africa” – and let them convince us – for far too long.
The NMB Business Chamber is rolling out a #BayOfOpportunity campaign to reverse this thinking and build confidence by highlighting the strengths and advantages of our metro and take action to make it happen.
The potential of the metro to be a world-class manufacturing, logistics, and green economy, hub, stems from the facts in front of us.
We are SA’s automotive industry hub, accounting for 41 percent of auto manufacturing employment, and home to over half the country’s auto-component manufacturers.
In addition, we have strengths in other areas of manufacturing and technology innovation, including a strong pharmaceuticals and beverages sector. There are the wool and citrus producers, and related agro-processing industries, where the Bay also leads.
The thriving Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ) represents another key advantage for the Bay, along with us being the only South African city with two ports.
We have ample wind and sunshine hours, making this an attractive destination for renewable energy investment, as we are already seeing.
We have a strong education offering, and lifestyle advantages in the 15-minute city, moderate climate, unspoilt beaches, the eco-diversity of five biomes, and nine nature reserves.
There is much more! And we’ll be highlighting those in future editions of this monthly column.
This is not to say that the metro does not have many problems and barriers to unleashing its full potential. They are there for all to see. However, the only way to solve problems is to take action together, rather than merely talking about them.
It is about adopting a growth mindset, seeing the glass as half-full rather than half-empty, taking the long view and knowing that positive change takes time, developing resilience, and harnessing the power of collaboration.
It starts with every one of us. We need to stop listening to what others say and dwelling on what was good about the past, versus the problems of the present.
Focusing on the positives and what we can control, taking a constructive rather than a complaining approach, and getting involved in leveraging the assets of the Bay of Opportunity – we can do this, together.
Denise van Huyssteen is the Chief Executive of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber.
