Gauteng Province
The collaborations between the South African Province and the Emilia-Romagna Region
General profile of the Gauteng Province
Country | South Africa |
Province | Gauteng |
Premier | Panyaza Lusufi |
Capital | Johannesburg |
The Gauteng Province is the smallest province in South Africa, but at the same time it is the richest and most industrialised province in the country. The area of the province corresponds to only 1.4% of South Africa’s territory, but its GDP accounts for 33% of South Africa’s wealth and 10% of the GDP of the entire African continent. Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, hosts government services and the foreign diplomatic corps. The main economic sectors are: financial services, logistics and communication, and mining.
Gauteng is the financial capital of Africa. Some of the main strengths of the economy are the OR Tambo airport, the Innovation Hub in Pretoria (a hub of scientific and technological excellence), the Johannesburg stock exchange (which is among the top twenty globally and has far more capitalisation than Moscow and Milan) and the large banks, insurance and financial companies operating in the area. The economy of the province is moving away from traditional heavy industry and low value-added production towards sophisticated high value-added production, particularly in the IT, telecommunications and other high-tech sectors. The thriving high-tech corridor in Midrand, halfway between Pretoria and Johannesburg, is the fastest developing area in the country.
The province has the best telecommunications and technology on the continent, boasting correspondents from the world’s major media and five South African television channels. It also has the highest concentration of radio, internet and print media in Africa.
The manufacturing industry includes basic steel and iron, metal products, food products, machinery, electrical machinery, appliances, auto parts and accessories, and chemicals. The agricultural sector in Gauteng focuses on supplying the cities with fresh daily produce. The animal breeding sector (cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry) and the fruit and vegetable sector are well developed. There are at least 7 agri-parks specialising in logistics and innovation. In these areas, the government has also developed projects on water management in irrigation and climate-smart agriculture (CSA).
In June 2019, Gauteng took part in the summit promoted by the Emilia-Romagna Region “Regions for global development” in Bologna. The event ended with the signing of the joint declaration with the partner Regions of Emilia-Romagna: California, Pennsylvania, Gauteng, Land Hessen and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
There are also several active exchanges in the educational field. Johannesburg is home to the ‘Africa Reggio Emilia Alliance’, which is part of the Reggio Children network and which collaborates in the promotion of educational activities, exhibitions and research. One of the results of this initiative was the establishment of five public preschools managed by the Gauteng Province, which were inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach.
In the area of research and innovation, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia has extensive projects with the four leading universities in Gauteng: Pretoria, Johannesburg, Wits and TUT.
On the subject of history and culture, through the Reggio Africa Archives project, Istoreco has active exchanges and projects with Constitution Hill (the museum that tells the story of South Africa’s journey to democracy). These exchanges are also beginning to include the Gauteng Provincial Archives and the Oral History Department of Wits University.
There are also many activities in the sports sector. The Reggio Emilia Foundation for Sport, in collaboration with Valorugby Emilia, Pallacanestro Reggiana, and Maratona di Reggio, accompanied thirty young athletes from Reggiana Nuoto, GS Self Atletica, Basket 2000, US La Torre, GS Arbor Basket and BasketReggio to South Africa for the fifth edition of the OR Tambo Soncini Games.
Other initiatives concern responsible tourism and culture (two photography exhibitions by South African artists hosted in recent years, while the Fondazione I Teatri hosted two dance companies from the Gauteng province in the 2022 calendar of events).
Areas of cooperation
HistoryCulture SportAutomotiveEducation and trainingSustainable development
- Chamdor Automotive Hub – a centre for know-how transfer – and vetriChamdor Automotive Hub – a centre for know-how transfer and a showcase for companies
- TOGETHER Project – exchanges and professional development activities
- The Municipality of Reggio Emilia signed a twinning agreement in 2016 with the Municipality of Ekurhuleni (Gauteng Province) for educational and social exchanges.
- In 2017, the Municipality of Reggio Emilia signed an agreement with the CoGTA Ministry for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs of South Africa to develop pilot cases of cooperatives in South Africa
- The Foundation for Sport of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia signed a cooperation agreement with the Gauteng Sports Confederation to promote exchanges in the field of sport