By Nangamso Mabindla
5 May 2005

AT LEAST seven sought-after names in the investment world have confirmed they will attend the three-day Nepad International Trade and Investment conference in East London.

City Mayor Sindisile Maclean said this at a press conference on Wednesday, 4 May 2005 on the City's readiness to host the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) meeting, which starts on Wednesday, 25 May 2005.

"We are making every endeavor to force-feed our wide-ranging, investment friendly development agenda to the world as one of the more than 400 secondary cities in our globilised world," he said of the conference. It will be held at the Regent Hotel on the East London beachfront.

He called for all stakeholders, including the city's Development Zone and other businesses, to work with the City to market East London to the outside world. Turning his attention to the seven investors who will attend the conference, Maclean said their fields ranged from construction and shipbuilding to information and communication technology.

"Their presence opens unprecedented promising and lucrative partnership opportunities between the city and investors," he said. Local and national entrepreneurs needed to take the opportunity to promote partnerships with internationally recognised investors and show the city's competitive advantage.

However, the city also needed to market its ability to deliver cost effective, sustainable and reliable services and to capitalise on its strategic and advantageous air, sea and rail links.

"The conference will be marked by a major exhibition in a R500 000 marquee at the beachfront venue featuring local partners."

Maclean called on all local entrepreneurs to take part in the conference. The City had put together a co-ordinating committee to ensure emerging businesses were included.

Noludwe Ncokazi, the City's general manager of local economic development said the committee would ensure that some local businesses exhibited during the conference.