I would like to see a shift in government thinking to really prioritise an open, deregulated economy and education sector.It seems too often that these subjects are only given lip service, while historically they are some of the most effective measures to bring social and economic upliftment worldwide.We need a revolution of positive action in this regard.Current policies are not working.We need to accept that some policies don’t work the way that it was hoped and to change the way we are doing things to accelerate growth.As someone running a business, I often find myself discussing the poor standard of university graduates.This is an easy issue to comment on, but a devastatingly hard issue to address.We should be talking more about education than about Eskom. As a publishing business, we have fortunately been quick to adopt digital media.Our first daily news service, Cargo Info Africa, started in 1998.This has enabled us to fully embrace the changes that Covid-19 brought to the print side of our publishing business.Where there was a great concern over the loss of print, I am now excited by the opportunities the digital environment offers.Our publications were restricted by print numbers but the digital environment means we can reach a greater number of our target audience through new channels.The reality of a weekly newspaper meant that you kept strong stories for days – now our news channels are free to break stories without delay through our daily online news.We have maintained our print presence, which strengthens our distribution model, while providing readers with a physical reference.Overall, the ecosystem is much better for all stakeholders – advertisers, readers and Now Media. Without the support of our advertisers, our journey would not have been possible. Thank you for your support. We will continue to enhance our products and endeavour to deliver more value into the future.As the third generation of our publishing business, I can say, without doubt, that the main ingredient in our publishing secret sauce is the people.Over the period of 50 years of freight publishing we have had exceptional staff who have made the publication great.The dedication and passion for the publication are abnormal.A very special thank you to staff, present and past, who have taken the publication on its journey for the last 50 years and made it a publication of high standards and strong reputation.
