ASEZ expected to grow billions

The High Impact Programme Certificate Ceremony

Atlantis SEZ expected to grow billions in green economy

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are vital tools used by the South African government to drive industrial and economic development. In Cape Town, the Atlantis SEZ is dedicated for green technology manufacturing and has positioned itself to optimally tap into global greentech market opportunities to help address poverty and unemployment in the area.

Why would you site your business or invest in the Atlantis SEZ?

1. The Atlantis Revitalisation Framework by all three tiers of government has prioritised Atlantis as a greentech hub. 2. The City of Cape Town has a range of incentives for firms to invest in Atlantis. 3. Atlantis lies within a strong transport corridor with easy access to two ports. 4. Manufacturing skills base exists in Atlantis and is growing with the support of local and provincial government. 5. Low operational costs in Atlantis, especially for businesses in the manufacturing sector. 6. Multinationals that have invested in Cape Town (including

Atlantis) have reported successful linkages into the rest of Africa. 7. The City of Cape Town has rolled out and will continue to roll out modern infrastructure throughout Atlantis.

Visit atlantissez.com for more details.

A recent visit to the Atlantis Industrial Initiative to talk about the Investment Facilitation Unit’s services

Through driving green technology investment and playing host to leading companies in the sector, the Atlantis SEZ (ASEZ) is projected to attract approximately R3.7 billion in investments over the next two decades.

The ASEZ consists of a 125 ha SEZ with 94 ha of greenfield land, located adjacent to an existing industrial area, benefiting from existing utility infrastructure – such as water, electricity and fibre connectivity – to the boundary of the site.

The ASEZ is the result of the collaboration between the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, the Western Cape Government’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the City of Cape Town.

Unlocking opportunities The ASEZ is an important tool to unlock industrial development, manufacturing, employment, skills transfer and spatial restructuring, among other opportunities expressed in strategic policies and plans of government.

With stable and good governance, a competitive local and national business environment and the ability to access international opportunities through partnerships, the ASEZ affords its tenants superior efficiency in landing their investment through actively collaborating with national, provincial and local investment promotion agencies providing access to opportunities for investment.

By implementing circular economy practices, businesses co-located in the ASEZ are able to cut costs and increase profit improve their business processes, create new revenue streams, learn from partners and vice versa, and operate on a sustainable basis.

At the end of 2020, the City transferred the general industrial zoned properties, valued at R56.5 million, to the ASEZ (SOC) Ltd. This allows the ASEZ Company to legally contract on the land with prospective bidders and provides much needed economic stimulus and opportunities for the community of Atlantis.

The City’s Enterprise and Investment Department offers many investment facilitation services. Specifically, they help in navigating municipal processes for larger investments in the City, clearing bottlenecks as well as business retention and expansion services to make sure that businesses grow and create employment. In Atlantis, the department has an enhanced role in supporting the green technology investment SEZ.

This includes skills development in this sector.

Skills development Recently, the City directed funding towards the GreenCape skills development programmes at the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC). This is the first national renewable energy technology centre in South Africa.

This programme, in particular, focuses on capacity development in green economy-related skill sets (water, solar photovoltaic and waste) and conducting skills audits for the ASEZ.

The SARETEC training coincides with the ramping up of the ASEZ.

High Impact Programme Another programme is the High Impact Programme for entrepreneurs in Atlantis.

This targeted intervention started with representatives from 11 participating businesses who are equipped to be leaders in local business having completed the programme.

The City partnered with enterprise and supplier development experts to facilitate the programme. Graduates were trained in four key areas, namely: compliance, works capability, financial capability, and business linkages. These encapsulate learning how to prepare for tenders, knowledge of smart procurement, and submitting a business proposal among other skills.

These programmes will provide better opportunities for the graduates and their businesses to capitalise on the ASEZ.

A greentech hub Not only is Cape Town the greentech hub of the continent, but the city also boasts first-class infrastructure, sound governance and four of the top universities in Africa, providing a skilled workforce. Since 2017, the Enterprise and Investment Department has worked with investors attracted by these sound fundamentals and assisted in landing investments to the value of approximately R39 billion leading to 26 275 jobs.

Examples of greentech manufacturing activities include the following: • renewable energy generation • advanced materials and packaging • energy storage • air and environment • resource efficiency • recycling and waste • transportation agriculture • water and wastewater. The City is committed to ensuring that it can continue to grow the economy by ensuring the retention of existing businesses, helpaing to expand current investments and securing new ones. This is particularly important for the recovery of our economy going forward. For more information about the

Investment Incentives policy, visit www.investcapetown.com.

Any investors considering setting up operations in Cape Town or expanding their current operations can email investment. facilitation@capetown.gov.za.

The GreenCape skills development programmes at the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC)