MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The municipality hosted the Mossel Bay Municipal Innovation District Programme (MOSMID) this week in association with SociaNovus.
The programme sees the municipality engage with SocioNovus, a Stellenbosch University initiative as well as other key partners.
Spanning two days, critical thinking and discussion were facilitated to identify innovative projects intended to unlock the economic development potential in specifically the tourism, healthcare and rail transport sectors - seen as catalysts for growth and job creation.
Mossel Bay's executive mayor, Alderman Harry Levendal, welcomed everyone, especially Professor Erwin Schwella of Stellenbosch University, who facilitated most of the two-day programme.
The mayor stressed the need for not only creating wealth, but also for effective and ethical distribution opportunities for wealth and job creation also for the youth and rural communities in the greater Mossel Bay area.
The MOSMID programme pivots on three elements for economic growth and expansion, namely tourism development, the healthcare industry and the proper use of the existing Transnet railway infrastructure, including the Mossel Bay harbour.
Representatives from these sectors and the Mossel Bay Business Chamber used the opportunity to deliberate on the development potential to unlock economic growth and prosperity.
While Mossel Bay is seen by many as the ideal retirement destination, the retired community in itself creates many opportunities in the healthcare industry.
The collective learnt of initiatives for nurses' training as well as the need for training of the local community in home-based care.
Several tourism opportunities involving the railway line have been initiated, such as steam train trips run by the Ceres Railway Company.
New initiatives, such as establishing a working museum at the Voorbaai railway depot may soon become a reality. This living museum is seen as potentially a great asset as it would also entail skills transfer of a dying art by skilled artisans to the local youth.
The municipal manager, Advocate Thys Giliomee, alluded to the importance of a functioning and affordable railway for the region when he spoke of potential opportunities that may stem from the establishment of a regional landfill site close to PetroSA.
Currently neighbouring towns have to transport their municipal waste to Mossel Bay by road at a huge cost, while freight transport by rail could be more cost effective. There also exist opportunities for alternative green energy projects in this regard.
Transnet representatives indicated several initiatives may stem from a renewed focus of operations at the harbour, with container freight mooted as a possibility.
The attendees concluded with a clear strategy for the way forward, indicating that they will meet again in three months' time to assess research that will be concluded in the meantime, and to discuss planning that will have been commissioned.
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