Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin will open the African Union Business Summit, at the Riverside Hotel, in Durban on Monday 1 July 2002.

The meeting of African business will be held from 1 to 3 July, alongside the African Union Summit. During the three days, the gathering of more than 200 delegates from South Africa and other regions in Africa will have the opportunity to discuss issues related to doing business on the continent.

Discussion themes during the three days will be "Doing business in Africa", "Mainstreaming gender" and "A way forward for business involvement in NEPAD". Business representatives and government officials will chair the various sessions.

Among the business leaders attending the conference are Lincoln Murray, regional director of Stanbic Africa, Patrice Motsepe, CEO of African Rainbow Minerals, Nontobeko Ntsinde, a member of the South African Women Entrepreneurs Network, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the executive chairman of the African Business Roundtable and Moeletsi Mbeki of Endemol Productions.

Released by: the dti Media Unit

30 June 2002

For further information: Panna Kassan

082 321 7314

Henriette van der Merwe

072 119 6795