The dti minister, deputy minister and DGs to address Manufacturing Indaba

The Minister and his colleagues will address hundreds of manufacturing stakeholders and business leaders that have already signed up for the two-day event. The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) is a strategic partner to the Manufacturing Indaba as part of the dti's strategic objective to facilitate transformation of the economy through the promotion of industrial development, investment, competitiveness and employment creation.

The dti deputy director Garth Strachan, who is responsible for the country's Industrial Development Policy, will also address delegates, focusing on the more technical details of the country's industrial policy. Bringing together South Africa's manufacturing stakeholders from both public and private sectors in the host city of Ekurhuleni, delegates will have the opportunity to network with the leaders spearheading South Africa's manufacturing revitalisation efforts.

Below are more details about the dti speakers:

Rob Davies

Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies is serving his second term as minister of Trade and Industry. During his first term (2009-2014), he oversaw the development and implementation of annual three-year rolling Industrial Policy Action Plans as well as steering South Africa's participation in important trade relations, including the Tripartite SADC-COMESA-EAC Free Trade Area, BRICS, Economic Partnership Agreement with EU, the US Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, and World trade Organisation Bali package.

Between 2005 and 2008 he was deputy minister in the same department. An ANC MP since 1994, Davies served as chairperson of the Portfolio Committees of Finance and Trade and Industry as well as the Constitutional Assembly Sub-Committee responsible for drafting Charter 13 (Finance). Before entering parliament, was professor and co-director of the Centre of Southern African Studies at the University of the Western Cape and Professor Auxiliar at the Centro de Estudos Africanos at Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique. Davies holds an Honours degree in Economics from Rhodes University, a Masters in International Relations from the University of Southampton in the UK and a Doctorate in Political Studies from the University of Sussex.

Mzwandile Masina

Deputy minister Mzwandile Masina has worked as deputy director-general at the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation and is currently the National Convener of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL). He previously worked as chief director of the Department of Mineral Resources and worked as director: Economic Empowerment in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, and for the Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency as programme manager.

He was also a director: Business Development and Customer Care at the dti before joining Uthingo Management as general manager: Empowerment. He was named the Youth Leader of the Year in 1999 by the ABSA Foundation and Rand Afrikaans University for his outstanding leadership role. He served as the ANC Enkululekweni Branch Secretary and is currently elected into the ANC Ekurhuleni Regional Executive Committee (REC). Due to his role as the head of the ANCYL, Mr Masina sits on the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC), National Working Committee (NWC) and Deployment Committee.

Lionel October

Director general Lionel October was appointed director-general of the Department of Trade and Industry from 21 April 2011. Prior to his appointment as DG, he served as the deputy director-general (DDG) responsible for the enterprise and economic development portfolio, and served as an Economic and Trade diplomat at the South African Embassy in Brussels from 2007 to 2011. He was instrumental in key trade negotiations with the European Union. Under his leadership as the DDG, the dti has spearheaded key industrial and enterprise development policies such as the National Industrial Policy Framework and Action Plan, and the development and implementation of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment legislation, to name a few. October has a Master's degree in Economics from the University of London and a legal degree from the University of the Western Cape.

Garth Strachan

Deputy director Garth Strachan is currently the deputy director general: Industrial Development Policy at the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti). He has a Master's of Science Degree in Public Finance, from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He serves on the Board of Directors of Trade and Industrial Policy Studies (TIPS) - a not for profit research and policy organisation.

Garth worked for the ANC in exile in Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe between 1976 and 1990. Upon his return, he held various positions in the provincial parliament and provincial government, Western Cape, including MEC Finance and Economic Development. He serves on the Minister of Science and Technology National Advisory Council for Innovation (NACI) and the Economic Advisory Committee of the Johannesburg Council.

Manufacturing Indaba attendees will have the opportunity to hear about government's most recent IPAP iteration as well as the City of Ekurhuleni's ambitious Aerotropolis project. They will also be able to meet and interact with the highest level of private and public sector manufacturing role players in the country.

Delegates are encouraged to register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. To register visit the Manufacturing Indaba site.