The Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Fikile Majola, and the Premier of Mpumalanga, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, visited the Nkomazi Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga yesterday.
The purpose of the visit was to assess progress in the implementation of the Nkomazi SEZ since its inception.
The SEZ has been implemented through the new Integrated District Development Model. The model pursues integrated planning and development at the district municipality to accelerate service delivery by bringing together all spheres of government in partnership with business and the community.
“The Nkomazi region consists of locational advantages which include endowment in agricultural resources, hence the SEZ is conceptualised as an agro-processing hub to drive development of the functional economic locality with a variety of services such as warehousing and logistics,” said Majola. “Due to its geographic proximity, this functional economic region is envisaged to draw linkages between South Africa, Mozambique, eSwatini and Asian countries.”
He further explained that the Nkomazi SEZ was better positioned to accelerate value chain development and industrialisation and better facilitate well-coordinated trade between several African countries through The African Continental Free Trade Area.
The Nkomazi SEZ is one of the ten approved Special Economic Zones in the country. They are designed to attract investment, create jobs, accelerate regional development, and facilitate economic growth.
