In order to ensure that KwaZulu-Natal province becomes a land of expanding opportunities, Premier Senzo Mchunu will tomorrow host the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia His Excellency Suprapato Martosetomo. Mchunu says this meeting which will take place in Durban will enable him and Martosetomo to explore areas of cooperation.
“We want to initiate twining arrangements with provinces in Indonesia in order to promote cooperation in areas such as tourism promotion, trade and industry, infrastructure development, agriculture and rural development.”
“As KZN we are very firm and determined to move with speed with the implementation of our programme of action aimed at ensuring the integration of this province with economies of the world.”
“KZN is an important hub of industrial development in sub-Saharan Africa, thanks to its rich natural resources and well-developed infrastructure. Economic activities in the province are mainly concentrated in Durban and Pietermaritzburg, with significant activities in Richards Bay, Ladysmith, and Newcastle as well as on the Ugu District.
However, we want remote areas of our province to be an integral part of economic development. In this regard, we are encouraging potential investors to consider rural parts of our province for investments because of the vast track of land that is underdeveloped.”
“In order to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, we are dealing decisively with historic under-investment in rural areas by focusing on investments in infrastructure. As the province we have adopted a target of increasing investment in capital infrastructure from the current 16.5% of GDP to 25% by 2020. In this regard we are encouraging public-private partnership.”
“Importantly, we want rural areas to benefit as part of our efforts aimed at ensuring sustained and inclusive economic growth. In a long run, the provision of infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity and internet connectivity will make rural areas more attractive to potential foreign direct investment.”
“It is to this end that we have embarked on a process to develop an Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan for the province. This plan will take stock of what it is that we have, will project what it is that we need to do and how to ensure the proper co-ordination of the provision of infrastructure by all spheres of government.”
Enquiries:
Ndabezinhle Sibiya
Cell: 082 375 4742
