Sandton - Johannesburg is set to be the host city of the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) in March, the first time the conference is coming to the African continent.
The hosting rights for the conference, which will run between 13 and 16 March 2017, were awarded at the 2015 GEC in Milan.
Speaking at the announcement this morning, executive head of Economic Development in the City of Johannesburg, Ravi Naidoo, said “entrepreneurship is the lifeblood of the economy”.
It is anticipated that the conference will will draw as many as 5 000 attendees from 157 countries.
The aim of the conference is to map out entrepreneurial ecosystems, share new developments in startup financing, connect entrepreneurs to the best resources and networks, and identify emerging entrepreneurial hotspots and global expansion of the producer movement.
“Hosting the GEC in 2017 will give South Africa the opportunity to showcase its entrepreneurial capacity to the world and show yet again why it is the leading host city of world congresses and business leaders. Johannesburg has world-class infrastructure to support hosting a world congress and its guests,” noted councillor Ruby Mathang, MMC Economic Development for the City of Johannesburg.
Small Business Development minister Lindiwe Zulu added bringing the conference to SA was a collective effort by the department, the city, Barclays Africa and SEA Africa. Barclays Africa and SEA Africa are sponsoring the conference.
Zulu also noted government is ensuring coordinated support to small and medium enterprises, which account for the bulk of jobs created in the economy.
Global Entrepreneurship Network CEO Jonathan Ortmans added entrepreneurs have a large impact on a country’s ability to create jobs. He is hopeful that the conference will be a vital step in rallying attention around entrepreneurship.
Kizito Okechukwu, executive head of SEA Africa, added the congress “will assist businesses and promote entrepreneurship across the African continent”.
The congress was initiated by Global Entrepreneurship Network and the Kauffman Foundation in 2009 and is a gathering of startup champions from more than 160 countries around the world. GEC primarily brings together thought-leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and policymakers who have become part of a global movement that advances entrepreneurship as a means to build economies and improve human welfare.
The GEC was held in the US in 2009, the United Arab Emirates in 2010, the People’s Republic of China in 2011, the UK in 2012, Brazil in 2013, Russia in 2014 and Italy in 2015 and will be held in Columbia in 2016. All the BRICS countries have hosted the GEC, except South Africa and India.
Craig Bond, CEO of Retail and Business Banking at Barclays Africa, added the congress, is a great opportunity for South Africa and Africa as a continent to showcase its entrepreneurial prowess to the world.
“The GEC is a platform that can open doors for our youth, ignite entrepreneurship and put our youth in the global arena. It contributes to the overall Pan-Africanism objective by strengthening common perspectives amongst nations, creating partnerships and collaborative efforts, and encouraging inter-regional trade.”
In preparation for the event, Barclays Africa is planning several lead-up activities that support entrepreneurship development on the African continent. These exciting activities aim to create a platform for African entrepreneurs to engage, participate, benefit and be supported in their businesses.
IOL