THE Coega Development Corporation participated in the Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPESA) Global Business Services and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Conference at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, where it showcased how the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ), with its growing talent pool and technological capability, has established itself as a leader in South Africa’s GBS and BPO sector, through its dedicated BPO Park.
The BPESA Conference, hosted in partnership with the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC), InvestSA and Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, presented a platform for industry stakeholders to learn about emerging technologies relevant to the sector in relation to customer experience.
Reshni Singh, BPESA chief executive officer, explained that the event was hosted under the theme “Rise”, which encapsulated fundamental aspects of the industry and its workforce.
“The Conference aimed to spotlight the substantial investments made by the South African government in terms of job creation within the GBS sector, surpassing R3 billion, fostering private sector partnerships, with a concerted focus on job retention and the creation of new sustainable opportunities for both entry-level and specialised field graduates,” said Singh.
The GBS sector has emerged as one of South Africa’s fastest-growing industries in recent years, with a consistent growth rate of 22-24% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). Recognised as a priority sector by the government, the sector has received substantial support through GBS incentives and a co-created GBS Sector Masterplan, outlining the objective to create half a million jobs by 2030.
Vuyokazi Gwabeni, Coega’s business development manager, said: “The conference provided an opportunity to network with stakeholders dedicated to developing South Africa’s BPO sector and aligned to Coega’s role in propelling the socioeconomic impact of the sector. We are currently home to one of the SEZ’s largest employers, Discovery, which has recently expanded and is projected to create 118 additional jobs.”
The Coega BPO Park, established in 2010 and located in Zone 4 of the Coega SEZ, currently houses three tenants, which collectively provide over 1,500 jobs. The Park is fully equipped with the necessary infrastructure and offers customised spaces at competitive rates, as well as an uninterrupted power supply and green power through solar, in-house recruitment, training, a variety of incentives, and the convenience of being accessible to all main transportation nodes.
Coega’s participation at events like the BPESA GBS BPO Conference assists the organisation’s ability to create an enabling environment for targeted industries aligned to the economic profile of the region. With a focus on job creation, private sector partnerships, and sustainable opportunities, Coega continues to be a driving force in the success and growth of the South African BPO sector.
