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Gove rnment is to conduct research into the effectiveness of its procurement processes in relation to the promotion of black economic empowerment (BEE), public service and administration minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, said in Parliament today.

She was addressing the parliamentary media briefing week, hosted by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), following President Thabo Mbeki’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Friday.

According to the minister, the study whose results will be available within the next six months, will identify key obstacles to the promotion of BEE in government procurement, and will formulate proposals to fast-track BEE in the public sector.

As the biggest spender in the country, government has said it is well positioned to contribute to BEE by outsourcing some of its services to black business especially the small business sector.

In his address, President Mbeki said economic growth; development and BEE were complementary and related to each other.

The President said no economy could meet its potential, if any part of its citizens were not fully integrated into all aspects of the economy.

Expanding on the crucial BEE programme, that had seen the country in the last few years transferring and creating wealth for the first time for the black majority in the country, he said government had prepared ‘a detailed set of proposals on Black Economic Empowerment.’
‘The empowerment we speak of is an inclusive process and not an exclusive one. Equally it follows that an economy that is not growing cannot integrate all its citizens into that economy in a meaningful way,’ said Mr Mbeki. –BuaNews

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