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12 August 2008

Programme Director
MECs, MPs and MPLs
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Ladies and gentlemen.

It is indeed a great pleasure for me to stand before you today at the first brick laying ceremony of the Big Hole conference centre. Certainly, this event is part of the ongoing progress and commitment that we as the Northern Cape Provincial Government, together with our key socio-economic partners, have made in the construction of this conference centre. Some of you will recall, ladies and gentlemen, that there was a sod turning ceremony of this very same centre in July last year.

In the spirit of Business Unusual, the Northern Cape Provincial Government has recognised the important role that tourism and infrastructure can play as impetus for economic growth and development in the province. As emphasised in the Northern Cape Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, based on its unique natural resource endowments, the potential for the Northern Cape Province to develop into a competitive tourism destination is significant.

Irrefutably, tourism not only has the potential to create employment for the local community, but it also has the potential to significantly contribute to economic growth, diversification and transformation, social development and upliftment and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage in the province.

Indeed, tourist attractions such as the Big Hole, the largest man made excavation in the world, with its popular underground mine tours, are an important impetus for the tourism industry in Kimberley.

Ladies and gentlemen, against this background, the Northern Cape Provincial Government made a commitment to assist with the funding of the building of the conference centre as part of its contribution to the overall development of the Big Hole development project at an estimated cost of R93 million. An estimated 350 people, mostly youth from the local community, will be employed in this project.

Indeed, the employment of our youth, particularly in the construction industry, is one of the paramount priorities of our government. Initiatives of the Expanded Public Works Programme such as Vukuphile and the National Youth Service (and Building Maintenance Programme) aptly illustrate this commitment.

The involvement of our youth in establishing joint ventures in the construction industry is actively encouraged. During the week of 27 July to 3 August, the Northern Cape Provincial Government showcased National Construction Week, during this week, government encouraged the active participation of young people in the construction industry and also celebrate the excellence of emerging contractors and their contribution to the promotion of growth, development and transformation of the construction industry.

In line with the Joint Initiative of Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) and the context of achieving the targeted 6% economic growth for the Northern Cape Province, the involvement of young people in scarce skills such as engineering, architecture, artisanship, and so forth, is central to the overall objectives of the broader government programme of action and key developmental objectives of the Northern Cape Provincial Government.

The Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition, ladies and gentlemen, arose out of a dire need to attract scarce skills to the youth of this country. JIPSA, as it is commonly known, is also targeted on halving poverty and reducing unemployment below 15% between now and 2014, through an accelerated initiative with key government stakeholders, rising to 6% in 2010.

According to the JIPSA annual report of 2007, the intermediate target of JIPSA in engineering skills is the recruitment of 1000 more engineers graduating annually. Also, with the Skills Development Amendment Bill that was sent to Parliament this year and through the "Technical Business Skills Partnership", government is actively working with the private sector to realise its envisaged targets. Indeed, elevating skills has given impetus to JIPSA interventions.

With this in mind, the Northern Cape Provincial Government, Frances Baard District Municipality, Sol Plaatje Municipality as well as De Beers are actively committed in ensuring that the construction of this conference centre is realised.

The construction of this centre, in addition to its tourist attraction and that of the Big Hole and the economic spins associated with it, will result in a state of the art and world class facility that can host national as well as international conferences or conventions, similar to those found in the major cities of our country.

Indeed ladies and gentlemen, the construction of such a centre is not the first of its kind in South Africa, the Bloemfontein International Convention Centre, which is to be built in Bloemfontein shortly, boasts a facility that will be the newest, most modern, internationally benchmarked and technologically advanced. Other areas with similar facilities around Kimberley include Mafikeng and Potchefstroom.

In light of the pending 2010 World Cup, South Africa has indeed opened its doors to international social and economic events, and cities throughout the country have started to exploit this opportunity for the benefit of their communities. For Kimberley, the construction of this conference centre, with its tourism opportunities, will vitalise the local economic activity and held boost the province's gross domestic product.

I thank you.

Issued by: Northern Cape Provincial Government
12 August 2008