Pretoria - Delegates at Gauteng's Investor Conference have described the province as a compelling automotive investment destination.
Industry stakeholders, economists and the Gauteng provincial government cast the spotlight on automotive investment in the province today as part of the international Automechanika Trade Fair 2011.
The conference was hosted by the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) and it outlined the opportunities, requirements and required processes for potential international automotive investors.
Relevant government entities were on hand to forge direct links with investors and thereby encourage foreign direct investment in the sector.
AIDC is one of two automotive focused subsidiaries of Blue IQ, the Gauteng provincial government agency tasked with unlocking the potential of key growth and development areas for sustainable economic growth in the province.
Amanda Nair, Blue IQ's boss, said delegates at the conference gained a valuable snapshot of the automotive industry in Gauteng, its impressive capabilities and the investment opportunities it presents.
National government has demonstrated its commitment to growth in the sector through the Automotive Production and Development Programme with its wide range of incentives and tax measures that will become effective in 2012.
The Gauteng Economic Growth and Development Strategy has singled out the automotive and component industries for future infrastructure investment, policy interventions and growth incentives from the side of government.
Nair said: "One of the AIDC's functions is to facilitate automotive investment enquiries.
"In recent interactions with several automotive suppliers that have considered setting up manufacturing facilities in Gauteng, investors have spoken of the difficulties experienced in gathering information on the automotive manufacturing sector in Gauteng, specifically incentives offered by Gauteng."
"An international trade fair such as today provides an opportunity not only to meet and engage with interested investors and industry stakeholders attending the expo, but also to send a clear message beyond these doors that Gauteng is well-positioned to facilitate investment."
A publication on Gauteng's automotive value proposition was launched at the conference: Gauteng's Automotive Value Proposition 2011.
It contains helpful contact details of various role-players and outlines pertinent issues to investing in the province's automotive sector.
Delegates were invited to a special site tour of the world-class Automotive Supplier Park, another Blue IQ initiative, to evaluate the existing manufacturing infrastructure first-hand.
Barlow Manilal, the AIDC chief executive officer, said: "Automechanika is the world's leading automotive trade fair. Potential investors will be in our province and will have the opportunity to be introduced to the right people so that networks can be established to take their investments further.
"The AIDC plays a unique role in engaging with both industry and government role-players and we look forward to contributing to the efforts of our colleagues in promoting foreign direct investment, with a specific focus on the automotive sector."
Speakers at the conference included renowned Econometrix economist Tony Twine as well as various senior government officials from Trade and Industry and Gauteng's agencies responsible for economic development and trade promotion.
