Johannesburg 28 October 2021: A high-level South African delegation comprising senior government representatives and business leaders will outline the country’s wide variety of investment opportunities to US investors and policymakers at a four-day conference next week hosted by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and its co-sponsors, UBS, Standard Bank and Old Mutual.

The conference, themed Structural Reform and Catalysts for Growth, will be held virtually between 2-5 November 2021.

“We must continue to demonstrate our commitment to building and maintaining a structurally sound economy in order to continue to attract foreign flows”, 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.

South Africa is diversifying its energy mix, currently dominated by coal, creating opportunities for renewables. Migration from terrestrial television to digital is being finalised, freeing up mission critical bandwidth for continued digitisation.

The Minister of Public Enterprises Mr Pravin Gordhan and Reserve Bank Governor Mr Lesetja Kganyago will be part of the government delegation that represents South Africa.  Other participants are executives from several private sector companies as well as the CEOs of Transnet, state-owned transport logistics firm, and Eskom, a state-owned power utility, as well as Business Leadership South Africa. The latter is an independent association of prominent business leaders.

The delegation will engage with institutional investors, listed companies, bankers, investment advisors.

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 reforms, 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 concludes.

ENDS

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