Issued by: Office of the Presidency
25 October 2001
The private sector should to eradicate negative perceptions that it has about the African continent, and begin to see Africa as a place to do business in, Deputy President said at the Plenary Conference of the Global Coalition for Africa today, (25 October 2001), in Gaberone, Botswana.
Making his opening remarks as co-chair of the session focusing on the "Responsibilities of the Private Sector", Deputy President Zuma said there continues to be a perception that it is risky to do business in Africa.
"The perception that Africa is a risk persists despite the fact that there are some countries in this continent which have had peace and stability since independence. When one country in the continent has a problem, all countries re-lumped in one basket. You can't judge all of us on the basis of what some of our brothers and sisters are doing," Deputy President Zuma said.
He said countries such as South Africa have created a climate that is conducive for local and foreign direct investment and that the private sector should respond positively.
The Deputy President said that the newly launched New Partnership of African Development addresses all the concerns of business, including the need for democratisation, peace and stability, resolution of conflicts, good political and economic governance, and the creation of the right environment for business to thrive.
"We are saying judge us on the basis of how we implement the new initiative and everything else that countries and governments have undertaken to do," Deputy President Zuma said.
The Deputy President added that while it was important for governments to transform, the same applied to the private sector. He cited financial institutions as needing transformation as they tended to discriminate against the poor and marginalised sectors of the community.
The conference ends tomorrow, Friday October 26, 2001, and Deputy President Zuma will return to South Africa tomorrow evening.
Lakela Kaunda
Spokesperson: Cell Number (09267) 71651250