Page 20 - RBIDZ

Export Week

Unpacking the Signifi cance of Exporting to the KZN Economy

South Africa has positioned itself as a manufacturing centre for economic
development, which focuses on diversified industrial sectors with
emphasis on export-led economic growth. Driven by ambitions to explore
the Ocean economy to the optimum, the country has poised various
projects which will be accelerated to interrogate the wealth in the oceans.

Operation Phakisa is one main project implemented in the oceans
economy and it centralises all efforts to pace up various projects.
Operation Phakisa is an adaptation of the Big Fast Results methodology
that was initially applied by the Malaysian Government successfully in
the delivery of economic transformation programme.

South Africa renamed the South African programme to put emphasis
on the urgency that it aspires to deliver being guided by the National
Development Plan (NDP) 2030. The Operation Phakisa is the methodology seasoned exporters. The programme was also expanded to incorporate a
that the government fully supports to ensure that various plans and two-day programme of the Annual African Ports Evolution (APE 2016) and
policies are put in place and executed with the aim of taking responsibility the African Rail Evolution conferences. The KZN Export Week aimed to
and accountability towards their achievements. further drive the call for Operation Phakisa’s first phase of implementation,
which focuses on unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s
The driving force towards ensuring that Operations Phakisa is safe oceans. This will be done together with representatives from government,
guarded to yield the desired outputs, is also motivated by the fact that industry, labour, civil society and academia to collaborate in unlocking
the largest contribution to the total investments in the oceans economy the economic potential.
is from infrastructure development, mainly in our ports, manufacturing,
boat building, aquaculture and scientific surveys in the oil and gas sector, With many activities for information sharing lined up during the
having been facilitated through government incentives. The total ocean proceedings of the Export Week, Richards Bay Industrial Development
sectors contribute approximately 4.4% to South Africa’s GDP, with the Zone also partook in the exhibition showcasing RBIDZ’s offerings and
largest contribution coming from the value chains. further, the RBIDZ Chief Financial Officer, Mzamo Khuzwayo, presented
an overview of the RBIDZ mandate and its future plans, emphasizing
Given the background, recently, during the Transport Month (October), the RBIDZ‘s optimism to be the game-changer and economic driver in
government activated various activities under 2017’s theme: “Together the Province.
we move South Africa Forward.” The various activities, focusing on
various modes of transport, amongst others being rail, road transport The KZN Export week summed up the aspirations of President Zuma
and ocean transport, were executed in the country with a highlight of who emphasized that when launching the Operation Phakisa, government
Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) Export Week held in Durban. chose the ocean economy with good reason. “South Africa is uniquely
This event stressed the Exporter of the Year Awards, which really affirms bordered by the ocean on three sides – east, south and west. With the
the focus on the oceans economy through export-led economic growth. inclusion of Prince Edward and Marion Islands in the southern ocean,
the coastline is approximately 3 924km long,” he told the delegates,
The KZN Export Week categorically highlighted the importance of “which included industry, labour, civil society and academia. But despite
exporting to the KZN economy, and further created the platform for this, the vast ocean space is relatively unexplored in terms of its
information sharing and networking sessions for emerging, existing and economic potential.”

18 GATEWAY TO WORLD MARKETS