South Africa’s Minister of Small Business Development, Lindiwe Zulu, has expressed optimism that the 2018 BRICS Summit will provide the perfect platform to hold discussions aimed at boosting small and medium enterprises in the member countries.
The Summit is set to begin on Wednesday in Johannesburg, and leaders from the member nations are expected to attend.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in South Africa on Monday ahead of that summit, and he spent Tuesday holding bilateral talks with his host President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Minister Lindiwe Zulu said engaging in discussions over the importance of small and medium enterprises was key in tackling issues such as unemployment, poverty and inequality, not just among the BRICS member nations but also other countries worldwide.
“In BRICS, small and medium enterprises as a discussion has not been at centre stage. So, what we have done as a department as well as the Department of Trade and Industry, we have tried to push for BRICS to also engage on issues that are related to small and medium enterprises,” she said.
The theme for the 10th BRICS Summit is: “BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution”.
The theme is reflective of the core priorities of each one of the BRICS members, notably to strive towards the creation of an inclusive society and global partnerships that will bring prosperity to all humankind.
