The weaknesses in the economy are often illuminated without looking at the opportunities that other sectors present, says Eastern Cape Development Corporation CEO Kevin Wakeford.

One has to be lucid and balanced when looking at the problem of poverty and unemployment, he said.

Wakeford said the ECDC will harness those opportunities and work in partnership with, for instance, the Department of Agriculture. "We must enhance competitiveness in that sector."

There were areas that gave scope for growth and massive job creation opportunities, he added.

Wakeford said South Africa was no different from other emerging economies and even some developed countries, all negatively affected by the weakening dollar.

"All countries face the came challenge. The US dollar has become a trading medium of the world. How do we respond to that? Where are the areas which will have the biggest multiplying factor from investment?"

It was important to direct attention and energy to sectors which offered opportunities for growth.

The government's Motor Industry Development Programme was a prime example of how to grab an opportunity, Wakeford said.

It had become one of the biggest recipients of foreign investment and was the flagship of industrial expansion in South Africa.

Department of Trade and Industry task teams were reviewing the textile industry, he added.