This week, I had the opportunity to speak at the SA Innovation Summit which welcomed around 1 200 delegates from 32 countries.
As Africa’s tech capital, Cape Town is the ideal destination for this major event that connects entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and key stakeholders.
In my remarks, I noted that the City of Cape Town has worked closely with partners such as the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) to drive skills development in high growth sectors such as IT and to make Cape Town the easiest place to do business.
This is exemplified by the recent graduation of 200 previously unemployed young people who received ICT skills and work readiness training that gives them a foot in the door of the more than 500 tech companies that call this city home.
Cape Town is the continent’s investment hub because of our partnerships such as that with Special Purpose Vehicles such as CiTi, CapeBPO in the call centre industry, and GreenCape in the greentech field. It is also thanks to platforms implemented by the Economic Growth Directorate such as Jobs Connect which links Capetonians with vacancies in the private sector, and the Cape Trade Portal, a digital marketplace administered by Wesgro which connects local exporters with international buyers.
The City also hosted a virtual stand at the summit where our team responded to queries about Cape Town’s tech and investment landscape from delegates who weren’t able to physically attend the summit.
In closing, I implored the entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists gathered at the summit to choose Cape Town for their businesses because the City government has the platforms, partnerships and initiatives that support people just like them.
Caption: From left to right: Buntu Majaja, SA Innovation Summit CEO; Christine Strutt, Von Seidels law firm partner; Matsi Modise, Technology Innovation Agency Chairperson; Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth; Audrey Verhaeghe, Anza Capital CEO; Linda Balm, Innovation City Commercial Manager
Source: City Of Cape Town