KUGOMPO CITY– The Eastern Cape is intensifying efforts to make municipalities investment-ready, with district municipalities showcasing credible, bankable projects at the Provincial Multi-Stakeholder Trade and Investment Promotion Roundtable Dialogue.
Hosted by the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council (ECSECC) and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) at the Regent Hotel in KuGompo City on Thursday, 03 September 2026 the dialogue brought together Executive Mayors, Municipal Managers, municipal entities, Economic Development Agencies, government, development finance institutions, business and investors.
Held under the theme ‘Strengthening the Role of Municipalities in Promoting Trade and Investment in Municipal Spaces’ the dialogue forms part of the Municipal Trade and Investment Promotion and Facilitation Support Programme.
Five investment opportunity booklets four district-wide and one local were unveiled.
Delivering the keynote address, MEC for Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Nonkqubela Pieters emphasised that municipalities are central to the investment agenda.
“Trade and investment happen in places. They happen in our cities, towns, townships and rural communities. Municipalities are not peripheral players in the trade and investment agenda. They are central to it,” she said.
Pieters added that, investors ask practical questions at local level about land, electricity, water, roads and approval processes and the answers determine whether an investment proceeds or is lost.
She added that investment promotion is not an event but a continuous institutional process.“An investment-ready municipality is not simply a municipality that has investment opportunities. It is a municipality that has the institutional ability to convert opportunities into actual investment,” she said.
Furthermore, MEC Pieters stressed that investor confidence is not built by slogans but by experience and called for a shift from municipal competition to cooperation through an integrated Eastern Cape Trade and Investment Promotion Ecosystem.
In addition ECSECC Board Chairperson Simphiwe Kondlo said the programme, led by ECDC with ECSECC as the main implementer, has been capacitating municipalities to interrogate their pipelines and produce professional booklets.
“District municipalities that are busy with trade and investment promotion at municipal level ECSECC is asked to be the main player and that is actually doing the work,” he said.
He described the presentations as very impressive, adding that awareness at municipal level has improved significantly around efficiencies, red tape reduction and political stability.
ECDC Board Chairperson Vuyani Jarana said a major shift is underway in how government uses its buying power to support local enterprises.Jarana said when he started at ECDC they pushed for government to buy products from its own people and National Treasury has now approved a Government Public Procurement programme that will be linked to the Enterprise Development Fund.
“You cannot finance enterprises sustainably if they don’t have market access. You will lose money,” Jarana said.
He added that two things matter; market access and production proficiency noting that government is a major buyer, feeding people in hospitals and other institutions and this buying power must be leveraged.
Head of Department at Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) in the Eastern Cape, Vuyo Mlokoti, said the programme is rooted in a strategic partnership forged five years ago, initially for three years and extended by two, to revamp municipal entities and make them self-sufficient and viable.
Mlokoti said municipalities are now presenting lessons learnt and credible, bankable projects. While praising Matatiele for its passion and leadership, he raised concerns about Port St John’s, citing governance, institutional capacity challenges, many acting positions and misalignment between the board and council.
“That gives me some kind of goosebumps. I do not see them succeeding unless they sort out governance, stability and ensure credible, ethical leadership,” he said.
He further emphasised that, plans must be integrated into Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and create constructive collaboration with provincial plans.
Lastly, Pieters said success will not be measured by the quality of dialogue alone, but by tangible outcomes. She said the province has laid the groundwork, the tools are in place and the partnerships are strong.
“The Eastern Cape is open for business. The Eastern Cape is ready to partner. And the Eastern Cape is ready to grow,” MEC emphasised.
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