The Eden District Municipality is gearing for a major investment conference that will showcase no less than 45 investment opportunities in the Garden Route.
This could potentially unlock millions of rands in income, create jobs as well as sustainable economic development.
Earlier this week, Executive Mayor, Memory Booysen, told a media briefing that the Eden District Municipality and its partners were ready to engage with South African and international investors at the upcoming Garden Route Investment Conference.
The conference takes place on 7 and 8 March at Oubaai Hotel Golf & Spa, Herold's Bay and is themed, Vukuzenzela - Creating Opportunity in a Global Uncertainty".
"More than 45 potential investment opportunities will be presented to investors during the conference, which could amount to millions of Rands in income, a range of new jobs and a sustainable economic environment," Booysen said in a weekend statement.
He said investment opportunities in Agri Processing, Aviation, Education and Training, Finance, Business Services and Real Estate, ICT, Light Manufacturing, Oil, Gas and Energy, Timber Economy, Tourism, Waste Beneficiation and Clean Energy, will be showcased.
Highlighting Eden District Municipality's personal interest in the Waste Beneficiation and Clean Energy sector, Mayor Booysen said that they plan to conduct one-on-one engagements with potential investors specifically due to their plans to erect a Regional Landfill Site adjacent to PetroSA in Mossel Bay.
"We have acquired the land to put up landfill site, but our approach will be different to others because we are planning to convert waste to bio-renewable energy," Booysen said, adding that "the 1st phase will be the landfill site, but any other phase thereafter should be aligned with renewable energy technologies, which will be consistently cheaper than energy derived from fossil fuels".
Booysen also emphasised the participation of Small Medium and Micro Enterprises at the Conference saying that their plan is to launch an Export Development Programme to empower SMMEs and give them the necessary understanding of the importing and exporting environment.
"This programme will continue after the conference," Booysen said.
"We want this Conference to be a district Conference where we want to give an opportunity to Municipalities within the Eden district to showcase the potential economic investment opportunities of their municipal jurisdictions. We also want investors to zoom in on specific projects which these municipalities are capable of offering," Booysen added.
International delegations, such as the South African ambassador to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Ruby Marks, the Trade Commissioner, Business Sweden, and two groups of Chinese Business delegations, are expected to attend the event.
