Cape Town: The local businesses presented themselves and took centre stage at the new initiative taken by the Invest Cape Town Centre in the city on Wednesday, Jan 31, 2024.
The City of Cape Town has opened the new Invest Cape Town Centre as a multi-use hub for economic activity, showcasing investor support initiatives, products made in Cape Town only, and projects spotlighting Cape Town as a leading African business city.
The centre was opened during the inauguration ceremony at City Hall this week by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth Alderman James Vos.
Marking his statement at the opening ceremony, Mayor Hill-Lewis said that they are pleased to open this hub as part of their commitment to bringing more job-creating investment to Cape Town.
Mayor said, “This is a place where investors can immerse themselves in all things Cape Town and we look forward to many fruitful economic engagements in this space.”
He said that they are also glad to support locals by showcasing proudly Cape Town product ranges here and they invite businesses to take advantage of this opportunity.
Counsellor Alderman Vos also made a statement and said, “During the visit, I took a tour of Dubai’s Economic Development Centre, which displayed locally produced goods and offered support to regional manufacturers.”
He also stated that they brought the concept back and tailored it for Cape Town. “The opening of this Invest Cape Town Centre is the City yet again putting our backing for local businesses into action,” said the counsellor Vos.
Alderman Vos also mentioned, “To our knowledge, this is a first for South Africa – no other municipality in South Africa has a dedicated space where their economic story gets told in such a tangible way.”
Vos added to his words that the centre will be activated for networking events and engagements with investors, high-level delegations and stakeholders. The idea was first conceptualised during a City trade mission to Dubai, which is Cape Town’s sister city.
Moreover, the hub’s display area for Cape-made products will feature items on a rotational basis. “We plan to showcase a range of Capetonian businesses at the centre. There is no cost to getting products featured, as the goal is to spotlight Cape Town’s creators,” said Alderman Vos.