Johannesburg - Day two of the ANC 54th national elective conference started off with unfinished business from Saturday night.
Delegates remained in discussions as credentials of the presidential nominees were discussed resulting in an adjournment.
Outgoing national chairperson Baleka Mbete, addressed the media after the adjournment, endorsing current deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, adding that there were outstanding issues that still needed to be dealt with. The programme is set to continue on Sunday at 9am.
Read:
#ANC54: Baleka Mbete endorses Cyril Ramaphosa
Meanwhile, the second Progressive Business Forum (PBF) Breakfast took place as scheduled on Sunday morning. Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies focused on the digital industrial revolution.
"This will bring about disruptive change. Not just production affected but value chains as well will be affected, " he said. Davies added that data management and digital were going to be at the apex of firms in the near future.
"We will have to adapt to this reality."
Davies said Africa at large was dealing with enormous pressure to sign onto the digital two dozen, meaning the development of a digital industrial policy.
"If we don't, we will find ourselves not being able to use as a force for good and it will widen inequalities."
He said there was an opportunity for growth with the new digital revolution.
"Our efforts to industrialise are going to have to take place beyond the borders of South Africa."
He added that it was important to start the quest into development integration.
Picture: Itumeleng English/ANA
Davies said it was important to get the continent out of the least lucrative position it has found itself in.
"Our country and continent remains integrated into the world economy but we are producers and exporters of primary commodities and importers of finished goods around the world," he said.
Davies also touched on BEE saying that the focus now needed to be on how those who benefit from it needed to now become real players within the companies that support BEE.
"Over the years, we have developed industrial policy incentives and had dedicated programmes."
Davies said the money for those incentives came out of reprioritisation and not the fiscus.
Davies previously spoke about the launch of Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) during the Budget Address earlier this year, expressing that the contribution of the dti to a more inclusive economic growth meant intensifying the efforts to promote radical economic transformation (RET).
This, he added, could be achieved through changing colonial structures of the economy and the inclusion of previously disadvantaged black people in positions of ownership.