BCM hosts bloc of emerging economies for top level talks
Urban-theme forum a warm-up for next month’s summit
FINDING sustainable solutions to South Africa’s apartheid spatial planning will be one of the issues raised during a high-powered global meeting on Brics cities, urbanisation and local government which gets under way in East London today.
Brics unites developing countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa under an economic umbrella.
The gathering at the International Convention Centre on the city’s beachfront will give Eastern Cape cities, led by Buffalo City Metro, an opportunity to network and show off their investment potential to a select group of international influencers.
The Friendship Cities, Local Government Cooperation and Urbanisation Forum will draw together hundreds of politicians and technocrats to discuss critical issues facing cities in the five countries that make up Brics.
The local conference is a precursor to next month’s 10th annual Brics heads-of-state summit being hosted in Johannesburg by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
South Africa assumed the rotational leadership of the Brics Forum in January and various sectoral meetings are taking place in the run-up to the heads of state summit.
The East London conference is intended to promote sharing of information at local government level between cities located in Brics member countries.
Two meetings of Brics ministers will take place and produce critical declarations affirming discussions and positions adopted on “the friendship cities network” and disaster management.
Government ministers tasked in their respective member countries with overall development of cities or local government will take up residence in East London from today until Sunday.
These include Brazilian minister of cities Alexandre Baldy, who is spearheading a national housing policy in a country with vast poverty and homelessness.
Rapid urbanisation alongside income gaps, industrial pollution and infrastructure logjams are among the challenges faced by Brazil, China and India.
South Africa’s deputy minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Andries Nel, said yesterday that the East London gathering would assist the host country to meet several socio-economic development goals, while managing urban development for inclusive growth.
“It also provides an opportunity to engage Brics counterparts on reversing apartheid spatial planning.”
Nel said socio-economic linkages with Brics partners were crucial for infrastructure development in SA municipalities.
There were opportunities for strong partnerships in skills development, construction, green building development, designing city regeneration schemes, upgrading informal settlements and new city expansion planning.
Brics counterparts also had experience of using urban development to overcome poverty and social disadvantage.
While the conference will focus on issues relevant to all cities within the Brics framework, Buffalo City spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya says the event offers a huge opportunity to market the host city and its urban neighbours to key global partners.
“We have enjoyed relations with the Chinese but we haven’t really had proper sessions with other Brics partners,” Ngwenya said.
BCM executive mayor Xola Pakati will host a networking dinner tomorrow which will provide an opportunity to speak directly to the investment opportunities in Buffalo City. Former deputy minister of finance Mcebisi Jonas – a former MEC for finance and economic development in the Eastern Cape – will address dinner guests, as part of a collective pitch to visitors.
A networking breakfast, which will be attended by other mayors from the province, will be held on Saturday morning.
“Buffalo City is a gateway to other cities of the province so we can talk about how we position our cities both in terms of normal living standards [for residents] and as an investment package.”
“This is something the city has never done before. We have an ambition to become a smart, innovative and green city. This is an opportunity to profile ourselves along with other cities to a global audience.
“Apart from being seen as an investment destination, we also want to showcase our tourism initiatives.
“We have 25 exhibitors at the conference with an African kraal theme inside this world-class hotel.”
Among site visits for delegates will be excursions to the East London Industrial Development Zone, the city’s port, the Mercedes-Benz SA operation on the West Bank, Mdantsane and Ginsburg.
“We might take people to the socalled good places but we must also show some of our areas where we have challenges.”
Ngwenya said BCM was hoping the conference session on disaster management would provide useful pointers on how the metro might cope in future with natural disasters such as flooding.
The last Brics summit on cities was hosted by eThekwini in 2013.