WELCOME MESSAGE BY MR JAMES NXUMALO : THE MAYOR OF ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY2013-05-16
On behalf of the Executive Committee of eThekwini, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the delegates who will be descending to the warm and caring City of Durban for the 2013 African Renaissance Summit. Africa as a continent has come a long way in its efforts of furthering the objectives of the African Renaissance concept, which continues to be an integral part of postapartheid
intellectual agenda. Central to this concept is the thesis that Africa can be a bread basket of its own and critical to the realisation of this idea is the streamlining of culture and education, economic transformation, science and technology, transport and energy, moral renewal and African values,
media and telecommunications.
As eThekwini Municipality, we have created a network of relations with major Cities of the African continent through our Sister City programme, whose fundamental purpose is to create a network that would enable the sharing of skills and expertise in the above mentioned sectors of economic development.
In terms of Infrastructure development and investments, we are home to one of Africas busiest ports, Durban Harbour, which will see billions of rand invested in its development through the Back of Port project in partnership with national government and Transnet. We are even more determined to tap into
more sectors of economic transformation and recently Durban won a bid to host the 21st World Route Development Forum and our agenda for this forum is clear, to attain information that will enable Africa to create its own networks and routes that will enable Africa to trade within Africa.
We are opposed to the suggestion that Africa is a developing continent when compared to Britain and America, who are referred to as developed countries because this submission creates an ideology that development is considered only in terms of financial and economic bases. Our argument is that cultural integration, peace and unity are also amongst the most critical ingredients to the realisation of the African Renaissance. It is under the above thesis that we are running annual social cohesion
programmes and our Municipal Institute for Learning Exchange (MILE) has a variety of cultural exchange programmes with most African countries which seeks to achieve the same objectives.
EThekwini is strategically positioned to be the next African economic hub and we have the resources that will enable us to compete with the worlds major economies and through the guidance of the National Development Plan, we will become Africas most liveable city in terms of green economy.
President Jacob Zuma recently visited Nigeria in a working visit where a number of issues that talk to the realisation of the African renaissance were deliberated on. Amongst other issues discussed was that of sharing ideas on how the continental bodies can do things better to achieve a stable, peaceful, democratic and prosperous Africa as well as dealing with matters that emerge from time to
time, such as the growing trend of using unconstitutional means to acquire governance and then seek to legitimise such governments through the AU and other bodies.
We hope that this conference, amongst other things, will touch on those issues in order to take us a step closer to the realising of the African dream of African Renaissance.
We are ready to host the 2013 African Renaissance summit and all security measures have been put in place to ensure that our visitors have a safe and happy stay in our warmest city of Durban. We also encourage our visitors to take some time out to explore the multiculturalism and diversity of eThekwini and its caring and friendly people.
|
WELCOME MESSAGE BY MR JAMES NXUMALO : THE MAYOR OF ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY
Copyright © 2024 KwaZulu-Natal Top Business
