SA Inc to showcase investment prospects to US investors
South Africa’s senior government representatives and leaders will promote the country as an attractive investment destination to USA investors at the four-day 9th annual South Africa Tomorrow (SAT) Investor conference starting next week.
The conference is hosted by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and its partners, UBS, Standard Bank and Old Mutual under the Structural Reform and Catalysts for Growth theme. It will be held virtually between 2-5 November 2021.
“For foreign direct investment to continue flowing into South Africa, we must continue to demonstrate our commitment to building and maintaining a structurally sound economy,” says Leila Fourie, JSE’s CEO.
“South Africa has a credible investment case and has shown its commitment to structural reforms particularly in the sectors such as energy, infrastructure and technology,” Fourie adds.
Historically, the US market has found South Africa’s manufacturing, finance, insurance, and wholesale trade sectors attractive.
The Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan and Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago, will be part of the government delegation that represents SA Inc. Other participants are executives from several private sector companies as well as the CEOs of Transnet, Eskom and Business Leadership South Africa.
The delegation will engage with institutional investors, listed companies, bankers, investment advisors and policymakers. Many of the representatives are based in New York, the USA’s dominant financial and investment centre.
During the plenary sessions, delegates will hear from private and public sector experts on how the country can address its socio-economic challenges through infrastructure and energy generation opportunities.
Furthermore, two panels will discuss the required political shift to drive the structural reform required, an analysis of the upcoming Local Government Elections in the context of economic growth, as well as the progress the country is making to address the social and economic impact of Covid-19.
“Encouragingly, key institutions across South Africa appear to be growing in strength and there is political will to stay the course,” says Standard Bank South Africa Chief Executive, Lungisa Fuzile.
“We see the strengthening of these institutions as vital to South Africa’s ability to address its socio-economic challenges and take advantage of opportunities presented to stimulate economic growth and recovery. Developments in this regard give us reason to be optimistic of South Africa’s outlook,” he adds.
Iain Williamson, CEO of Old Mutual, says the SA Tomorrow Investor Conference opens the door to a world of opportunity for informed investors and serves as a powerful catalyst for growth and development at a crucial time for South Africa.
“We are confident that by working together, meaningful partnerships can be forged to accelerate growth, contribute to broader social upliftment and greater financial inclusion. Despite the challenges we face, the financial services sector continues to demonstrate a resilience and determination to driving practical and workable investment solutions that will deliver growth, development and the shared value this country needs,” he adds.