held an investment breakfast on the third and final day of the event – which took place from 09 to 11 Mayat the Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand, Johannesburg.
The City of Jo’burg investment breakfast, hosted for 100 high-level leaders in the Construction, Built and Information Technology industries, was a platform for robust discussion on the city’s willingness to partner with private stakeholders in terms of infrastructure development.
Said Nkateko B. Shipalana, Acting Director: Integrated Regional Economy Development for the City of Jo’burg of their involvement, “The City of Jo’burg’s investment breakfast, and other events of this nature, are necessary for the city to draw from the resources of various stakeholders within the private sector. It gives the city a better understanding, opens opportunities and creates partnerships.
This breakfast session has been an extremely useful and has opened up the floor for great dialogue between the city and industry experts and leaders.”
Johannesburg has been a pivotal economic contributor to the South African economy and the continent as a whole. With vast urban decay in Johannesburg’s inner city, the local government saw increased crime levels and a decrease in desire for business owners and city dwellers to invest in the city’s infrastructure.
To address this, the City of Jo’burg has looked at various ways over the last seven years to regenerate the inner-city. The Urban Development Zone has been a key project which has aided in the revitalisation of the urban infrastructure of the city.
The highlight of the breakfast was the panel discussion which opened the floor for various industry leaders to pose questions to the panel which was moderated by Asite, CEO – Tony Ryan.
The panellists included, Mr Themba Mosai, Executive Head of Africa Operations and Managing Director of Intertoll Africa at Group Five, Mr Pedro Antelo, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Director, Mota-Engil Africa, Ms Sinzao Sibisi Group Executive: Infrastructure Delivery for the Bank and Mr. Nkateko B. Shipalana, Acting Director: Integrated Regional Economy Development for the City of Jo’burg.
Said Shipalana, “The city is delighted to have been the host city of the African Construction Expo and Totally Concrete Expo again this year.”
“It is vital for the city to come alongside various stakeholders, such as the African Construction Expo and Totally Concrete Expo, and create important partnerships which can assist and ensure that the city is able to successfully implement its infrastructure projects.
These projects are not only dependent on the city but can definitely benefit from the inclusion of various stakeholder input,” concludes Shipalana.
For more information on the City of Jo’burg, visit http://www.joburg.org.za/
For more information on the findings of The City of Jo’burg investment breakfast, feel free to contact the event organisers, Christine Barrow, at christine.barrow@access-africa.org.
