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The Minister of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies will launch the Strategic Partnership Programme (SPP) at the Africa Trade Summit Expo and Smart Procurement World Conference taking place in Cape Town from 7 – 8 March 2017.

The SPP is a sub programme of the Enterprise Investment Programme (EIP), and aims to encourage large private sector enterprises, in partnership with government, to support and nurture as well as develop small and medium enterprises within the supply chain or sector, in order to be manufacturers of goods and suppliers of services in a sustainable manner.

According to Minister Davies, the programme is intended to support Broad-Based Black Empowerment (B-BBEE) policy through encouraging businesses to strengthen the element of Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) of the Codes of Good Practice.

“The supported strategic partners are expected to develop and support programmes or interventions aimed at enhancing the manufacturing and services supply capacity of suppliers with linkages to strategic partners supply chains, industries or sectors.  The programme is made available on a cost sharing basis between government and private sector partners, towards manufacturing projects of SMMEs,” says Minister Davies.
He adds that the Incentive Development and Administration Division of the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) has partnered with the Smart Procurement World Summit because it is a strategic platform aimed at bringing together large and small businesses, in an effort to harness innovative business and trade linkages and facilitating supply chain inclusion.

“The focus of the summit is on enterprise and supplier development which aligns with the dti’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment legislation. The summit will also allow the delegates to gain better insight into the best practice of supply chain development,” says Minister Davies.

The Africa trade summit expo and Smart Procurement World Conference will be attended by Ministers of Trade and Industry from neighbouring African countries, as well as international delegates and captains of industry involved in Supply Chain in South Africa and Southern Africa.

Issued by Department of Trade and Industry