The first Northern Cape Investment and Jobs Conference, which got underway in Kimberley this morning, attracted over 900 stakeholders, foreign dignitaries and prospective investors keen to explore opportunities in the province billed as South Africa’s new economic growth frontier.
The three-day conference will explore investment opportunities in the Northern Cape’s green energy, minerals and mining, agriculture, industrialisation, infrastructure and logistics, and tourism sectors. The conference aims to serve as a catalyst to align government, business and development partners around a shared programme to unlock large scale investment, accelerate industrial development and sustainable job creation. Northern Cape Premier premier Dr Zamani Saul welcomed the high levels of interest, stating that while around 300 delegates had been expected, the event had been significantly oversubscribed. Dr Saul noted that the Northern Cape Province had made strides in developing its economy since 2019, and was now on an aggressive path to grow its GDP from R164 billion to R200 billion by 2030, aiming to create at least 60,000 new and sustainable jobs in the same period.
He said: “In 2019, we embarked on an aggressive economic development programme, with key objectives to modernise the province, drive economic growth, and achieve better outcomes with regard to education access and healthcare services provision.”
Since 2019, the province’s GDP had grown from R119 billion to R164 billion, the number of people employed had risen from 225,000 to 337,000, and the number of poor households had been reduced. “Unemployment has dropped from 31% in 2019 to 27%, and – importantly – our Human Development Index (HDI) has increased to 0.71, which puts the Northern Cape among the elite group of provinces with an HDI above 0.7. This index looks at factors such as access to healthcare and education, and quality of life. It indicates that our efforts to grow the economy and create much-needed job opportunities have extricated more households from poverty,” he said.
NEF Transformation Fund and InvestSA OSS launch
Mziwabantu Dayimani, CEO of the NEF
Day one of the three-day conference also featured the official launch of two key projects to drive investment and economic growth in the province: the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and Northern Cape Province Transformation Fund, and the dtic and InvestSA One Stop Shop (OSS) for investors. Dr Saul said the Northern Cape’s partnerships with the NEF and InvestSA amplified the province’s efforts, with practical support for both local entrepreneurs and investors looking for opportunities in the province.
“These initiatives improve our ability to move from intention to implementation,” he noted.
Also speaking at the event, Mziwabantu Dayimani, CEO of the NEF, said the organisation’s partnership with the Northern Cape province spanned several years and had resulted in increased dealflows in the region. “To date, this partnership has funded over R300 million in 22 projects that have created direct employment for around 1,346 people. “Development finance turns capital into opportunity: we are translating policy into projects and investment into jobs,” he said.
dtic SEZ Special Advisor Maoto Molefane
dtic SEZ Special Advisor Maoto Molefane said the launch of the OSS for the Northern Cape represented an important milestone in the economic development journey of the province. “This initiative represents much more than a government programme. The Northern Cape offers immense opportunities and stands as a cornerstone of South Africa’s future growth. The OSS will bring together key government services under one roof, ensuring that investors receive support quickly, efficiently and transparently. Through the OSS, we are making it easier to do business in the Northern Cape and sending a clear message – the Northern Cape is open for business,” he said.
Chelsea Gillespie
infrastructurenews.co.za
