Opportunity magazine is a niche business-to-business publication that explores various investment opportunities within Southern Africa’s economic sectors. The publication is endorsed by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI).
EDITOR'S NOTE Can
EDITOR'S NOTE Can industrial policy stand the strain? policy” is a short phrase with a long history and a complicated legacy. Every nation state has one, reflecting particular conditions and priorities. simple terms, industrial policy sets out a country’s economic goals. A nation “Industrial might want to increase exports, support local manufacturing or shift the economy to a more technologically advanced level. The post-Covid reality, infused as it is with the insecurities of disrupted supply chains, multiple wars and rising tensions between the world’s most powerful states, is that industrial policy has mostly come to mean tariffs. Tariffs support local manufacturing but are barriers to free trade. The barriers put in place by President Donald Trump were not removed by President Joe Biden because the idea that tariffs protect jobs has taken hold in the USA, as it has in many nations. African nations have signed up to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) but how does this agreement square with the injunction to “buy local”? The various iterations of state support programmes of the South African automotive industry – the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP), the Automotive Production Development Programme (APDP) and the APDP Phase 2 (APDP2) – have been successful in boosting exports and creating jobs. How well will this industrial policy sit with other African nations in the context of AfCFTA? The EU faces a similar quandary: it is contemplating support for manufacturers of solar panels, a strategic industry threatened by cheap Chinese imports, but will consumers be happy to pay higher prices? How will industrial policy evolve as the world closes in on the year 2030, a marker chosen by the Paris Agreement for a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions? Industrial policy is set to become even more complex. In this issue, we look back on a century of making vehicles in South Africa and Erik Bergvall, MD, Scania Southern Africa, stresses the importance of data in successfully transforming the road-freight sector. Transformation is what occurred at Foskor. Having experienced years of financial loss, adroit reading of market conditions has put the company in a strong position, both at its mine in Limpopo and the Acid Division in Richards Bay. The CEO of Seriti Green, Peter Venn, gives insights into the company’s vision for the country’s biggest wind farm going up in Mpumalanga and reflects on the national renewable energy scene. Santosh Sookgrim, Senior Technical Advisor at the South African Wind Energy Association, writes on how Mpumalanga is transforming from an energy powerhouse driven by coal to a centre of wind power. Homeowners now have a chance to buy power from a private operator, with the launch by GreenSun Renewable Energy of a power-purchase agreement. Consultants Simone Samuel and Karina Govender run the rule over the importance of adhering to the standards set out by the International Organization for Standardization in pursuit of achieving ESG goals. Cohen Appanah highlights five essential qualities for successful leaders of the digital future. These range from understanding cybersecurity to ethics and the use of technology to manage and lead teams. The arrival in South Africa of powerful international competition in the ecommerce marketplace does not mean that local platforms are finished. Far from it, writes Bob Group’s Managing Director, Andy Higgins. There is light at the end of the tunnel for South Africa’s railway network, according to Colossal Concrete Products, Southern Africa’s largest producer of precast-concrete railway sleepers. Spier Wine Farm is leading the way in cultivating organic wine and the state of the sector is analysed. John Young, Editor 8 | www.opportunityonline.co.za www.opportunityonline.co.za Editor: John Young Publishing director: Chris Whales Managing director: Clive During Online editor: Christoff Scholtz Designer: Tyra Martin Production: Ashley van Schalkwyk Ad sales: Shiko Diala Vanessa Wallace Venesia Fowler Gabriel Venter Tennyson Naidoo Tahlia Wyngaard Mandlenkosi Dlamini Gavin van der Merwe Graeme February Sam Oliver Administration & accounts: Charlene Steynberg Kathy Wootton Sharon Angus-Leppan Distribution and circulation manager: Edward MacDonald Printing: FA Print PUBLISHED BY Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd Company Registration No: 2004/004982/07 Directors: Clive During, Chris Whales Physical address: 28 Main Road, Rondebosch 7700 Postal address: PO Box 292, Newlands 7701 Tel: +27 21 657 6200 Email: info@gan.co.za Website: www.gan.co.za No portion of this book may be reproduced without written consent of the copyright owner. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Opportunity, nor the publisher, none of whom accept liability of any nature arising out of, or in connection with, the contents of this book. The publishers would like to express thanks to those who support this publication by their submission of articles and with their advertising. All rights reserved.
