Maricelle Botha

For the first time in the history of the Mangaung Chamber of Industry and Commerce (MCCI) and the Free State, the city of Bloemfontein will be hosting an international delegation of 20 top business leaders from around the globe. They are all members of the Global Economist Forum (GEF) and will be accompanied by their president Dr Enayet Karim. President of MCCI, Nancy de Sous, says that an event of this magnitude will hopefully give local businesses faith in the province again.

“There is a hunger for events like these. There are no markets in the Free State. We have companies that are MCCI members that sell their products to companies in Durban and Johannesburg and then all they do is sell it back to the Free State again. For example beef; we take the beef to Johannesburg to get slaughtered and the hides go to Port Elizabeth for tanning. Then we in the Free State buy it back. The Free State does not benefit from anything they produce,” De Sousa says. She adds that the MCCI’s focus is on making it possible for smaller businesses to make money.

This delegation will be the guests of the MCCI from 24 to 26 April. The forum programme will consist of presentations and break-away groups as well as one-on-one discussions. The delegation will also visit projects and developments, as well as look at potential business proposals from our province. According to De Sousa the GEF delegates have the potential to boost bilateral trade, investment and relationships.

All activities will take place at the Emoya Estate. A full programme is available on the website of the MCCI at www.bcci.co.za. Submit your RSVP to admin@bcci.co.za and please indicate which break-away sessions you would be interested in attending.

maricellle@centralmediagroup.co.za