Carlo Petersen
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has called on business leaders to partner with government to boost economic growth in South Africa. Zuma reviewed the recent World Economic Forum in Switzerland at a luncheon with top business people in the city yesterday.
He said low economic growth cost the country and that government would invest in developing infrastructure for electricity‚ bulk water‚ ports and rail networks.
“Government will take the lead in developing enabling economic infrastructure. This investment should not be allowed to slow down in difficult times as we may lose our comparative advantage to others who are able to invest and develop faster and better ways of doing things. Straying from our course will leave us ill-prepared for the next up-cycle.”
Zuma urged South Africans never to lose sight of the positive attributes that make the country an investment destination of choice.
“We have a diversified economic base. We have an economy that offers world-class business services in areas such as information and communication technology‚ transport and logistics, as well as financial and professional services,” Zuma said. “We have strong and transparent public institutions and are committed to responsible macro-economic management of the economy.”
He said investment would be at the top of government’s agenda in future. “That is why we are developing the InvestSA One Stop Shop concept to remove red tape and regulatory bottlenecks for investors.
“Let me emphasise that we are serious when we say we want to avail ourselves for continuous interaction with business for the good of the economy and our country.
“Let us work together to ensure that in the next economic upswing‚ South Africa will be in a position to grow faster and employ more people‚” Zuma said.