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Global Sourcing Summit in Cape Town to leave a legacy of job creation, says CEO of Global Sourcing Association
2 October 2018
The inaugural GSA Global Sourcing Summit has kicked off in Cape Town with a single objective: finding ways to create more jobs in BPO.
“This summit is intended to be more than your standard commercial conference,” said Global Sourcing Association CEO, Kerry Hallard, at the start of the two-day conference. “We want this conference to create a legacy. Through this conference, we aim to create 1 000 new jobs in the BPO sector in South Africa. We will work with our partner, BPeSA, to promote South Africa as a leading global BPO destination.”
Organised in partnership with BPeSA, the City’s special purpose vehicle responsible for growing BPO in Cape Town, the summit took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 1 – 2 October 2018. Delegates discussed the latest trends and predictions affecting the industry and provide tangible insights into subjects such as customer experience, robotics process automation, digital transformation and innovation.
Keynote speakers at the opening included Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, former Finance Minister and South Africa’s Special Investment Envoy, Trevor Manuel, and Zondwa Mandela, Founding Director of the Mandela Legacy Foundation.
The BPO sector is experiencing massive growth in South Africa with almost 40 000 people, mostly between the ages of 18-30, currently employed.
Making the case for Cape Town, De Lille said the city offered an enabling environment for the BPO industry to flourish.
“Cape Town hosts the majority of South Africa’s BPO industry companies and continues to attract business from top firms across Europe, the United States and Australia. To attract investment, the City has created a checklist of indicators that we know are top priorities for investors. They are: reliable infrastructure, fast internet, energy security, clean governance, good air access, a one-stop-shop for investors, and a skilled and talented labour pool.”
De Lille added that Cape Town presented a number of opportunities and advantages for BPO businesses to locate in the city, including:
- A rich talent pool with an English-speaking workforce
- Cape Town is in the same time zone as Europe
- Its natural beauty provides a high-quality lifestyle
- South Africa has strong data protection laws and standards, similar to those in Europe
- Good quality technology services
- Relatively low cost of doing business
- Closely integrated public transport system
- Complementary and supporting industries like the finance and ICT industries are also strong in Cape Town
In his welcome address, Andy Searle, national CEO of BPeSA, acknowledged the great strides that Cape Town had made. “The summit takes place here fittingly. Cape Town has led the way in the BPO sector,” he said.
Mandela spoke about how government, NGOs and the private sector could work together to solve the problem of unemployment in South Africa. He spoke passionately about the work he and others were doing at the Mandela Legacy Foundation, an organisation that has been on the front line to empower young South Africans using education, and challenged those present to continue creating jobs for young people in the BPO sector “until we meet that mark of 250 000 jobs nationwide”.
Manuel spoke about the promising future of South Africa. He said that despite the challenges of the last decade, the country was in a better place. “We are in the process of rebuilding. We are creating platforms where we can resolve issues to transform our country. We are sitting on the cusp of change…” Manuel spoke about the importance of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Youth Employment Service, known as the YES initiative; the forthcoming Jobs Summit and the Investment Conference later in October.
