The focus will be firmly on the future development of the wild coast at the end of this week when cabinet ministers, members of the Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Committee, senior representatives of state-owned enterprises and local government and the private sector gather in Mthatha for a two-day summit on the Integrated Wild Coast Development Programme (IWCDP).
An initiative of the Eastern Cape Government, driven by the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the IWCDP cuts across several provincial departments with a number of MECs playing a major role in the summit and the initiatives to drive the development of the wild coast.
MECs involved in the initiative will chair the various sessions while the summit will be official opened by Premier Noxolo Kiviet. Two of the major infrastructure projects planned for the area, the N2 development and Mzimvubu Dam will be on the agenda for the first morning.
Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa will address the summit on the Mzimvubu Multi-Purpose Dam as a "catalyst for development on the Wild Coast," while South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) will speak on the N2 development as the "Logistics Platform for the Wild Coast". The SANRAL speaker is yet to finalised.
The developments are part of Governments Strategic Integrated Projects (SIP)Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti will address the issue of "Rural Development and Land Tenure," while the focus will also fall on forestry, industrialisation prospects for the Wild Coast and agro-processing.
Tourism, agro-processing and the "Green Economy" are the three core focus areas for the proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on the Wild Coast.Tourism will come under the spotlight at the evening session when the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency unveils the "Tourism and Heritage plan for the Wild Coast".
On Friday, the second day of the summit, delegates will focus on development finance before participating in commissions that will examine issues around infrastructure, energy generation, land tenure and environmental management, skills and supplier development and urban development and the promulgation of new towns. The IWCDP envisages the creation of a number of new towns with Coffee Bay being the pilot project.
Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism MEC Mcebisi Jonas will spell out the vision for integrated development of the Wild Coast at the start of the summit and assess the way forward at the end. Ahead of the summit, Jonas says that the wild coast programme "presents a new era for socio-economic planning."
For enquiries:
Sixolile Makaula, Communications Manager
Cell: 072 751 5001
E-mail: sixolile.makaula@deaet.ecape.gov.za
