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Gauteng

Gauteng Provincial Advanced Manufacturing Technology Programme

Since 1994, the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) has put in place a significant number of policies and frameworks aimed at deepening democracy and socio-economic transformation. While the challenge of high levels of unemployment, poverty, uneven and skewed growth remain, the GPG in utilising the foundation it has built is now leading the drive to secure a shared vision for accelerated, integrated and sustained economic growth. Ultimately, the critical long-term objective is to position Gauteng as Africa’s globally-competitive manufacturing powerhouse in support of NEPAD objectives.

The strategic context of Gauteng’s drive for economic growth is embodied in the:

  • Gauteng Growth and Development Strategy (GDS),
  • Gauteng Trade and Industry Strategy (GTIS), and
  • Gauteng Integrated Transport Strategy.


These strategies are supported by Strategic Initiatives such as:

  • Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) where the primary long-term benefit to the economy is skills development
  • Gauteng SMME portal and GauMac
  • Blue IQ (Strategic Economic Infrastructure Programme)
  • Blue Catalyst (VC high added-value manufacturing and
    knowledge-based sectors)
  • Apex fund (SME’
  • International and regional co-operative agreements


In pursuit of a better life for all, the GPG considers that the time for strategy development is past and that the time for implementation and delivery is at hand. The GPG’s five key medium-term (2009) objectives with a focus on integrated sectoral and spatial economic development are:

  • Stimulate faster economic growth and drastically reduce
    unemployment (key development and modernisation of the second economy and its integration with the first economy)
  • Fight poverty and build secure and sustainable communities
  • Develop healthy, appropriately skilled and productive people
  • Deepen democracy and nation building and realise the constitutional rights of all the people, and
  • Build and effective and caring government.


As Premier Shilowa has already pointed out to the people of Gauteng the challenge is twofold, viz;

  • Increase activities in highly productive and labour absorbing sectors of the economy so as to create increasing numbers of sustainable employment opportunities and continue to create an enabling environment for economic growth through, amongst others, ensuring adequate skills and a safe environment, and
  • Ensure that more citizens (especially poor & marginalised, women, disabled, youth) are brought into the mainstream economy through the promotion of broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE), local economic development of SMME’s, including co-operatives.

With reference to the above context, implementation of the GDS with specific reference to Gauteng’s Manufacturing Sector and having a specific (but non-exclusive) emphasis on Advanced Manufacturing (i.e., high value-added and knowledge-intensive / Smart manufacturing) is beginning. A Provincial Advanced Manufacturing Technology Programme, as piloted in the Western Cape, will be implemented, project managed by the CSIR and supported by the GPG and AMTS.

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