KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube will on Tuesday welcome hundreds of international delegates attending the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) 2023 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban.

The World Business Angels Investment Forum, an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), is a strategic global organisation whose mission is to ease access to finance for businesses from start up to scale up.

In 2021, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, through the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, put forward a successful bid to host the WBAF 2023.

Dube-Ncube said hosting the gathering of global leaders is a welcome boost for the province, particularly because it aligns with the province’s economic recovery and development strategy, which puts supporting and financing innovation, start-ups and Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) at the centre.

She said the province also the event which brings together entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers from different parts of the globe, saying they will make meaningful connections and match-making for provincial local businesses.

“As we rebuild our economy, we recognise the importance of entrepreneurship and international investment. In particular, we welcome the fact that as an affiliate of G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), WBAF 2023 focuses on the digital and business transformation of small businesses. 

“There is also a special focus on the quality of local investors as part of efforts to increase financial inclusion in local economies in post-pandemic times,” Dube-Ncube said.

The meeting will take place from 21 – 22 November 2023. – SAnews.gov.za