By Nangamso Mabindla
26 May 2005

DELEGATES at the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) Trade and Investment Conference attended a glittering gala dinner at the East London City Hall last night.

The dinner was hosted by Buffalo City Mayor Sindisile Maclean. The evening fell on Africa Day and guests wore some of the best traditional wear the continent had to offer.

Speaking at the dinner, Maclean said, "We are grateful to the Nepad secretariat for choosing the city for this conference. We are proud to have prepared this with our stratigic partners; we wouldn't have done it alone."

Choosing East London showed confidence in the city's ability to host big conferences. "This also gives us a chance to sell the city to potential investors. This opportunity may come once in a lifetime. We made sure that no developing business was left out of the conference," Maclean added.

It was also a chance for the East London Development Zone and the Buffalo City Development Agency to sell the city to some of the seven investors attending the meeting. "We need to fight poverty and joblessness. In trying to address the problems of underdevelopment and unemployment we are trying to develop the city."

Some of the projects the City was undertaking included the Bhisho-King Williams Town integration project and the Mdantsane Urban Renewal Project, among other rural development initiatives aimed at fighting poverty.

The mayor urged government stakeholders to work closely with the government if poverty and other challenges were to be eliminated.

Turning his attention to the delegates, Maclean said they should try to talk about the city and invite more people to visit.