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Cape Town – Africa’s Leading Digital City
11 November 2019
Cape Town is honoured to accept the title of Africa’s leading digital city, for the innovation and infrastructure it beholds and the contribution it brings to the Western Cape’s GDP. This announcement is a testament to the city and its partners’ hard work, highlighted in the 2018 State of Cape Town Central City Report which is researched by the Central City Improvement District (CCID).
The city greatly contributes to the province’s GDP
Many factors of Cape Town’s economic structure are key to its contribution to nearly three-quarters of the GDP in the Western Cape. Several international businesses have set up their trading in Cape Town, contributing up to R5 billion in foreign direct investment into the city and it’s reported that 50% of emerging tech companies in South Africa are based in the Western Cape, with the most being in Cape Town.
The sector gains most of its employees in Cape Town
The City has fast emerged into a tech hub and reports prove that this sector gains most of its employees from Cape Town. The city is supporting innovation, having invested R1 billion into the development of a telecommunications channel that provides network and service to City-owned infrastructure.
“To this end, the city, and the CBD has geared itself to accommodate an emerging digitally savvy population that requires a business environment that offers good broadband connectivity, co-working spaces, accessibility and quality of lifestyle. The City Centre has all of these, and as a recognised digital city, the Cape Town CBD is well placed to support this vibrant new way of working.”
CCID chairperson, Rob Kane
Cape Town: The multi-year telecommunications project
The project is anticipated to be completed in 2020 and currently connects 300 city-owned buildings with broadband access. Initiated in January 2018, the city’s Connect Pilot Project has aims of enabling high-speed fibre connection to 1 000 commercial buildings in the central business district. The Broadband project is a multi-year capital project that will be responsible for the construction of telecommunications infrastructure and systems in the city. A metro area for a telecommunications network further serves the needs of the residents and businesses in Cape Town.
Cape Town: What does this mean for employment opportunities?
Cape Town is reporting excellent results, recording in its past financial year the creation of 4 764 jobs and 2 109 people receiving much-needed skills and training. And the wins keep coming with the city’s Strategic Business Partners and Special Purpose Vehicle injecting R2,7 billion to grow investment, job creation and skills development.
Originally reported by The South African.
