Statement by the City’s Executive Mayor,
Alderman Patricia de Lille
City signs co-operation agreement with Miami-Dade
County
Note to editors: The following is an extract from a speech made by
Mayor De Lille in Miami yesterday upon signing the co-operation
agreement between Cape Town and Miami-Dade County. The cooperation agreement emphasises key economic relationships between the
two cities. The agreement is focused on the following:
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Establishing a co-operation agreement between the two cities
Supporting programmes of mutual cultural exchange
Supporting the establishment of a South African trade office in
Miami
Engaging and persuading the various stakeholders of the
importance of a direct air service between Miami and Cape Town.
Cape Town is an important new South African market not currently served
by any direct flight from the United States. A direct flight could create an
access point for 39 markets and provide a direct link between the
international hub of Miami (servicing South, Central and North American
markets) and Africa according to a feasibility study undertaken by Miami
International Airport. It would be the fastest flight between South Africa
and the United States.
Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Carlos Gimenez,
Good morning,
It is an honour to be with you in Miami-Dade County today.
The signing of this agreement has been a long time in the making.
I am pleased to say that, whatever the hold-ups, we have found ourselves
at this point today.
The City of Cape Town has recently gone through a transformation in
terms of how we view our place in the world.
As some of you may know, Cape Town is a place of great beauty and an
internationally renowned tourism destination.
We are fortunate enough to live where the Atlantic and Indian oceans
meet in the shadow of iconic Table Mountain.
As proud as we are of our tourism sector and the revenue it generates for
our city, we need to diversify our offering to the world.
Growth in the 21st Century will be driven by cities.
In the 20th Century, a great deal of attention was placed on the
relationships between nation-states, especially at the economic level.
All measurements of trade, all indicators, were shaped at the national
level.
And the understanding of activity was limited to a focus on the flows
between these sovereign actors.
Economic analysis has advanced since.
Indeed, there is now a general consensus that trade, the forces that
generate economic activity, flows between cities and city-regions.
Where once we thought of the globe divided by lines separating countries,
today we see expanding and contracting points of energy constantly
connecting and disconnecting with one another.
Where once we knew only formal relationships and strict rules, today we
understand a dynamic system that is in constant change.
Those agents of change are cities.
In the economy of the 21st Century, cities are the drivers of economic
growth.
Indeed, the McKinsey Global Institute has advised that, over the coming
decades, growth will be determined by a class of secondary cities that
understand, build on or develop competitive advantages or competitive
specialisations.
And for the first time in the history of the world, this century, more
people will live in cities than in rural locations.
That is why one of the focal points of global public policy is in
understanding the relationships between these growing centres.
The City of Cape Town is becoming an active player in forging a place for
ourselves in this new era.
In so doing, we have looked at our relative size, our economic strengths
and weaknesses, our place in the world and, more specifically, our place
within the economically emerging continent of Africa.
We have considered our fundamental identity as a place of opportunity.
And we have taken into account the desired benefits we want to see from
a new approach, including leveraging investment attractors and playing
our part to attract new people to live and work here.
This approach means learning from best practice internationally.
While there is a great deal of difference between Miami-Dade County and
Cape Town, there are also many similarities.
Key among these is the challenge Cape Town now faces in repositioning
itself as a place of business.
Miami once was known mainly as a leisure destination, a place of beauty
where people came for a bit of fun and relaxation.
That identity has changed and evolved here.
Today, Miami is known across the world as an international place of
business, commerce and finance.
It is a centre for the travel and transportation links.
And it is a regional hub, serving people from both North and South
America who come here for business, shopping and tourism.
Over time, you have kept your core identity and added new strengths to
it, making it something dynamic that can take the lead in this new era of
the city.
And all this with a diverse population and an ethnic mix that we can relate
to in many ways in Cape Town.
We seek to learn those lessons of making our city a cultural centre that
provides a platform for business in our country and the region.
And so we hope to learn from you and your experiences here in Miami
Dade County.
In conclusion, I hope that you will take up our offer of partnership and
visit us in Cape Town.
We are more than happy to share our knowledge with you.
But more importantly, we would like to offer our services as a facilitator
for investment in Cape Town, the rest of South African and the Southern
African region.
Our infrastructure is by far the best in the country and our advanced
tertiary services sector, including finance and Business Process
Outsourcing, are world-class.
These are not only perfect attributes for your business to invest in Cape
Town, but as a platform for investment elsewhere.
Once again, thank you for partnering with us and I hope this becomes a
long and fruitful relationship.