JOHANNESBURG, March 16 — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday called on the nation to buy locally produced goods and services, to support the local enterprises, create jobs, and grow the economy.
Ramaphosa made the remarks while addressing the Proudly South African summit in Johannesburg.
He said when he presented the State of the National Address last month, he was dressed in locally made clothes.
“Local production is important because it encourages national pride in the goods, services, and products made on our home soil. It supports the growth of small businesses and the expansion of larger firms. It creates employment and sustains livelihoods. Local production supports our manufacturing sector. It enables us to build much-needed infrastructure and improve our services,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the government will remove obstacles impeding the growth of the local enterprises.
“We need to work together to create an environment that supports local companies. To create an environment more conducive to local production, we are reducing red tape and removing the barriers to entry for emerging companies. We are undertaking far-reaching reforms in energy, telecommunications, and in our ports and railways to improve the competitiveness of our products,” he said.
The Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition Ebrahim Patel said in 2019 they realized that the country was importing a lot of capital and consumer goods which made them review their stance.
He said South Africa has developed an industrial and manufacturing base which saw the country manufacturing sanitizers, ventilators, medical-grade face masks and gloves, vaccines and therapeutic drugs, and anesthetics which were also exported to other countries. (Xinhua)
