The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) – in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation and the National Empowerment Fund – will host the second Black Industrialists and Exporters Conference at the Sandton International Convention Centre, in Gauteng, on March 20.
The event will comprise a day-long conference, and will provide a platform for an exchange of ideas, knowledge and information on the achievements of the Black Industrialists Programme since its inception in 2015, as well as challenges and opportunities presented by the programme.
There will also be an exhibition that will showcase proudly South African products manufactured by black industrialists, as well as an awards ceremony that will recognise and reward black industrialists that have contributed significantly to the country’s industrialisation, job creation, poverty alleviation, innovation and transformation efforts.
The Black Industrialists Programme aims to increase the participation of black South Africans in the ownership and control of productive enterprises in key sectors and value chains of South Africa’s economy.
More than 1 300 delegates – including representatives from 800 black-owned firms, 73 panellists and speakers, 139 exhibitors, nine buyers from the country’s biggest retailers and seven Ministers – participated in the inaugural event that took place in Sandton, in July 2022.
President Cyril Ramaphosa officially opened the conference in 2022, and later handed certificates to ten black industrialists who romped home with awards in various categories.
In his keynote address, Ramaphosa described the conference as “an opportunity to reflect on progress in advancing redress and equity in the South African economy”.