South Africa: Wesgro in association with the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government hosted a delegation from the Chamber of Commerce Antwerp-Waasland (VOKA) at Invest Cape Town, City Hall, which was held last week to boost trade and investment ties with Belgium.
Belgium is a key European trading partner for South Africa, that includes very much of the country’s exports entering Europe through the Port of Antwerp, being the second-largest in the EU.
Reportedly, VOKA delegation, which is Belgium’s largest network of entrepreneurs and businesses includes 35 business leaders from the Antwerp/Flanders region.
The delegations were introduced to the business innovation and competitiveness of the Western Cape. The presentations were made by a global satellite manufacturer and Outsourced CFO – Simera Sense that offers offshored financial services from Cape Town and across South Africa.
Considering this, CEO of Wesgro – Wrenelle Stander made her remarks and outlined the role of the agency in promoting tourism, trade and investment in Cape Town and the Western Cape. Her opening remarks highlighted the success of the region and key EU investment relationships.
Furthermore, City of Cape Town’s Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis emphasised the commitment of Cape Town to become the easiest place to do business in Africa and compete at global level.
Western Cape Premier – Alan Winde discussed the Growth for Jobs Strategy (G4J) for the province, that recognizes the role in job creation for the private sector and the need for the state to stimulate market growth. It will also create an enabling environment for more opportunities.
This initiative by them, also touched on the ambition of the province to unlock the Green Hydrogen, which is sourced from renewable energy and has significant potential to address global energy needs and combat climate change.
Premier Winde specially noted that Belgian investment could help in supporting regional growth, particularly in renewable energy and green hydrogen.
Invest Cape Town
The Invest Cape Town initiative was launched by the City of Cape Town with an aim to strengthen and promote the status as a high-performance African business hub that support big ideas and innovation.
City of Cape Town enables growth by linking businesses to new insights, also provide opportunities and solutions.
Invest Cape Town is a demonstration of the commitment made by the city to create a platform that contributes towards the increased awareness, attractiveness and competitiveness of the city as a place to do business.
Furthermore, the mission is to attract and retain foreign direct investment which is of strategic importance to the economic development of Cape Town.