Cape Town: Investors who are looking to do business in Cape Town now have a new digital guide at their fingertips. Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth and Tourism of the City of Cape Town – Alderman James Vos, launched Maya, an AI-powered investment concierge designed to make businesses work faster and easier from around the world to invest in the Mother City.
Launch of Maya formed part of the City’s new global investment campaign in Cape Town. Built especially for business. It is an international initiative that will showcase Cape Town as Africa’s leading business destination while highlighting the practical reforms, which the City of Cape Town has introduced to create a competitive investment environment.
At the launch, Alderman Vos stated that attracting investment is about far more than promoting Cape Town’s natural beauty. He said, “The world already knows Cape Town as one of the world’s great tourism destinations. This campaign tells another side of our story, that Cape Town is also a city where businesses can invest, innovate, grow and create jobs.”
About Maya
Maya is available 24 hours a day in eight languages, including Afrikaans and isiXhosa. It is a single-entry point into Cape Town’s investment ecosystem, which will help investors in navigating municipal processes, identify opportunities, access business support programmes and connect with City officials, as well as provide information on industry bodies and Special Purpose Vehicles.
The name was inspired by Maia from Greek mythology, a figure associated with growth and new beginnings, making it a fitting name for a platform designed to help in transforming investment ideas into successful businesses. It was developed by the Economic Growth Directorate’s Economic Development and Investment Department.
Alderman Vos said that Maya is an example of practical innovation in government. He expressed, “we wanted something practical and responsive that could answer questions immediately, guide investors and connect them with the right people. Innovation in government doesn’t need to be complicated. It simply needs to solve real problems, save people time and make it easier to do business.”
Strengthening Cape Town’s Investment Environment
Maya’s launch builds on a series of reforms introduced by the City of Cape Town to strengthen its investment environment. These include:
- the Ease of Doing Business programme
- the Business Support Policy
- the Manufacturing Support Policy
- a new Tourism Strategy focused on growing visitor value
- improving geographic spread
- expanding international air connectivity
The City has also advocated continuously for wider economic reforms, including an Open Skies aviation policy to increase international air access and greater private sector participation in the Port of Cape Town to improve efficiency, strengthen trade and enhance competitiveness. Alderman Vos said that these initiatives are delivering tangible results.
According to James Vos, through the Special Purpose Vehicle programme alone, just under R16 billion in new investment was facilitated during the last financial year. By partnering with industry in high-growth sectors such as technology, business process outsourcing, marine manufacturing and the visitor economy.
Also, they are helping businesses in expanding, attracting new investment and creating more jobs for Capetonians. It shows what can be achieved when government and industry work together with a shared focus on growth.
Connecting With The World
Cape Town, Built for Business campaign will now roll out across over 60 cities in key investment source markets spanning North America, Europe, South America, Africa, China, India and the Middle East. This will showcase Cape Town’s competitive advantages to investors, entrepreneurs and multinational companies looking to establish or expand their operations.
Built on this recent launch, Alderman Vos will next week lead a City of Cape Town’s delegation to engage business leaders and investors at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), before meeting exporters and manufacturers at the Dube Trade Port in Durban as part of a broader drive to strengthen investment partnerships and position Cape Town as Africa’s leading business destination.
The campaign is underpinned by R120 billion infrastructure investment programme over the next decade, which will strengthen water security, energy resilience, transport networks and other essential services needed to support long-term economic growth.
This launch also coincides with the 10th anniversary of Invest Cape Town, which has spent the past decade in supporting investors, facilitating investment projects and promoting Cape Town as a globally competitive business destination. Alderman Vos said that the campaign is about creating meaningful partnerships and ensuring that Cape Town remains part of global investment conversations.
Alderman James Vos further explained that this is all about opening doors, building relationships and making sure that Cape Town is part of investment conversations wherever they are happening. Every investment starts with an idea. The job is to create the conditions that help the idea to grow into a successful business that creates opportunities for others. Cape Town isn’t just open for business; it’s built for business.