Remarks by the Minister of Small Business Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu, As She Accepted the Award to Host the Global Entrepreneurship Conference In 2017, Milan
Programme Director,
Chair of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, Jonathan Ortmans,
Ministers and Administrators present here,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen
I accept this award with all the humility and gratitude I can muster. I accept it on behalf of South Africa and our continent.
This award, which comes a few months after the establishment of the Department of Small Business Development, is a tribute to South Africa’s entrepreneurs who lobbied hard for the establishment of a separate and dedicated department that would focus on small businesses and co-operatives.
It is also a tribute to the old generation of black entrepreneurs, whose resilience and sacrifices defied the unequal playing fields of our ugly past to become business icons admired by friend and foe.
As I accept this award on behalf of my fellow compatriots, I wish to make a solemn pledge that we will, indeed, repay the trust and confidence that the world has demonstrated in our City and country. The City of Johannesburg will not disappoint! South Africa will not disappoint! Gauteng will not disappoint! Africa will not disappoint! Like we did with the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Johannesburg promises to stage the best Global Entrepreneurship Congress ever!
This decision by the Global Entrepreneurship Network will help sustain the momentum of an entrepreneurial revolution which President Jacob Zuma set in motion when he made that historic announcement in June last year! I am confident that GEC 2017 will further thrust entrepreneurship and the agenda small business development firmly on the national agenda and I n the collective consciousness of our nation.
This humble honour continues to convey an important message that says indeed, Africa’s time has come. In many ways this award is an acknowledgement that Africa is the next end that will lead global economic growth. Indeed this award communicates an unambiguous message that Africa is the new epicenter of the rise of global entrepreneurship.
I wish to congratulate all partners who worked around the clock to ensure that South Africa becomes the host of GEC 2017. In particular let me thank the City of Johannesburg, SEA Africa, Barclays Bank.
Let us meet in 2017! Africa is calling! Africa is welcoming!
I thank you.
