Black Industrialists Conference: Black-owned firms eager for access to mainstream economy
More than 1,000 delegates have gathered for the annual one-day event expected unpack opportunities and challenges faced by black businesses.
Trade, Industry and Comeptition Minister Ebrahim Patel opened the Black Industrialists Conference at the Sandton Convention Centre on 20 March 2024. Picture: @the_dtic/X
JOHANNESBURG - Black-owned firms say they want to sink their teeth into the mainstream economy, as the Black Industrialists Conference gets underway in Sandton.
More than 1,000 delegates have gathered for the annual one-day event expected unpack opportunities and challenges faced by black businesses.
Government officials, businesses and investors are among those at the Sandton Convention Centre on Wednesday.
Chairperson of Community Investment Holdings, Anna Mokgokong, said there needed to be a balanced playing field for black firms.
She said this included increased market access and a boost in competitiveness.
"This is where I belong. Having been in business for 40 years, I can’t remain a SMME. I need to move up the ranks and create infrastructure in the country."
Mokgokong said the economy also needed to be inclusive for women.
"It is not an easy journey; it is fraught with challenges. What have you got to lose? Be thick-skinned. Even if they talk to you and try to destroy you, just hold the South African flag high and sing the South African anthem."