Gauteng Premier, Nomvula Mokonyane, has said that the decision by the Gauteng Provincial Government to invest in Soccerex has been vindicated by the benefits accruing from hosting the world-acclaimed exhibition.
Delivering the opening address for this year’s Soccerex 2009, the third and final expo to be held in Gauteng, Mokonyane said it was the “primary responsibility of government to create conditions that are conducive for business to flourish and generate the much needed skills development.
“The primary reason why the Gauteng Provincial Government invested in the expo was to enable the province to leverage a platform that will sharpen government input and focus in relation to opportunities associated with hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“We made this investment not because we were expecting financial returns, but because we understand very well that events of this nature require initial investment from government to open opportunities which can then be accessed by private business entities and individuals,” said Mokonyane.
It was reported that during the past two years over 30 Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMMEs), with the help of the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, have had an opportunity to exhibit at the expo, exposing them to a global audience.
“Guided by the imperatives of our Gauteng employment and growth development strategy, we are convinced that Soccerex will enable to launch and activate new sectors of our economy.
“Soccerex has positioned the Gauteng brand to over 60 international destinations, with an accumulated audience of 600 million. This high level international exposure grew from $3.4 million in 2007 to just under $4.7 million in 2008. These figures are expected to increase this year as the World Cup fever hits South Africa. Between 2007 and now, over R96 million was invested in the local tourism sector,” said Mokonyane.
She said apart from the football legacy projects, a number of flagship projects were launched in conjunction with Soccerex. This includes the meter taxi projects and brand Gauteng. The launch of the brand at Soccerex exposed it to 300 media houses with a television audience of three billion.
The other sectors that are said to have benefited the most from having the expo in Gauteng were among others the hospitality industry and the car rental sector.
Also at the opening, FIFA President Sepp Blatter re-iterated his confidence in South Africa’s ability to host a successful World Cup. Blatter said the Confederations Cup presented an opportunity for the host nation to look at the problems that might arise during the World Cup and said those challenges will be tackled.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
30 November 2009
Source: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gautengonline.gov.za/)0
