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JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 2-- South Africa's official marketing agency Brand South Africa on Tuesday called for collective effort in 2018 to turn around the country's economic growth. This was said by the Brand South Africa's CEO Kingsley Makhubela in his message for the New Year. He called for collective commitment from all stakeholders to strengthen the country and build a more resilient nation brand. He said, "As a collective, we in Brand South Africa, together with government, business and civil society need to strengthen our collaborative efforts to ensure that we get back on our development trajectory of improving the climate for investment and business expansion, which consequently translates into conducive conditions for economic growth and job creation in South Africa." Makhubela said the New Year brings a hope for renewal and prosperity and opportunities, while the country has made great strides in many aspects before, a lot needs to be done. He called for tolerance and unity this year. Makhubela said 2018 is promising, "There are encouraging indications that 2018 will be a year of continued positive transformation for South Africa and its people. The confidence of local and international investors remains high as attested by various reputable international investment bodies." According to the 2017 World Bank's Africa Competitiveness Report, South Africa is ranked number two. This means the country's global ranking for 2016-17 improved by nine places from 56 in the 2017-15, 47 out of 138 countries worldwide. | 
