The Premier of the North West believes the province has immense potential for growth in key sectors of the economy – most notably tourism, agriculture, and mining.
Our provincial road and transport infrastructure are critical enablers of future economic growth in the North West Province and as the 6th Administration, we have set ourselves clear targets to accelerate balanced growth in line with the objectives of the National Development Plan.
The North West is a province with immense potential for growth in key sectors of the economy – most notably tourism, agriculture, and mining.
The provincial Spatial Development Plan provides the framework for growth, but we are keenly aware of the fact that access to socio-economic opportunities must be created on safe and accessible roads.
For this reason, we value the productive partnership that has grown between the province and SANRAL over the years. In the recent State of the Province Address, we announced that some R4.54-billion was spent on the improvement and maintenance of our world-class road infrastructure.
The N4 toll road is the primary economic artery in the region and connects us with Gauteng and serves as a gateway to the SADC through Botswana.
We therefore welcome the major upgrades to the road that are currently underway in the Madibeng Local Municipality area.
Similar upgrades are taking place on key roads in the Kenneth Kaunda, Ngaka Modiri Molema and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati Districts.
Through our road networks, we can move agricultural and mining products to the markets and open new destinations for the growing number of tourists who are eager to visit our beautiful and diverse province.
The SANRAL initiatives complement the province’s own Roads Recovery Plan to improve transport infrastructure and significantly reduce maintenance backlogs.
We intend to spend an additional R732-million in the current financial year on the upkeep of road infrastructure including bridge construction, rehabilitation and the upgrading of roads from gravel to surface.
A distinctive feature of SANRAL’s projects is its ability to create jobs in local communities and support the growth of local suppliers, local entrepreneurs and local contractors.
These projects make valuable contributions to the broader provincial economy and enable local communities to gain valuable experience on major construction projects.
Our newly-elected administration is ready to serve the people of the North West. We are ready to accelerate the economic development of the province and looking forward to a growing partnership with SANRAL to achieve our objectives.
This is an opinion piece by Prof Job Mokgoro, the Premier of the North West province.