City highlights Cape Town’s opportunities at Africa Tech Festival
MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, ALDERMAN JAMES VOS
This week, I had the pleasure of addressing delegates at the Africa Tech Festival, the continent’s biggest gathering of industry roleplayers.
Over 15 000 delegates and more than 1 000 start-ups attended the conference, which was sponsored by the City.
As a key tech hub on the continent, Cape Town is the ideal destination for this major event that connects entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and key stakeholders for networking opportunities and discussions around emerging trends.
Technology plays a central role in helping our City government to identify and resolve challenges standing in the way of better serving communities.
A prime example is our Ease of Doing Business programme. By tracking the efficiency, costs, and processes of City services, we’re identifying ways to streamline operations and boost productivity.
This review even inspired us to develop a resident-oriented mobile app, a tool that enables residents to engage with the City on service requests, notifications, and more, keeping them informed in real time about any updates, incidents, and alerts.
Beyond our borders, we’ve also begun a collaboration with leading municipalities across the African continent to share insights and strategies in making government services more efficient. This initiative reflects our commitment to learning from one another and to building a tech-powered foundation for sustainable urban growth across Africa.
Further noted was our recognition of the tech industry as a vehicle for investment in Cape Town, as reflected by the fact that 51% of the country’s start-ups are based here.
This vibrant ecosystem is supported by up to 30 active incubators, accelerators, and support organisations, nurturing start-ups across every stage of growth. One such organisation is UVU Africa, which has helped thousands of emerging entrepreneurs gain the skills and connections they need to succeed.
The City has partnered with UVU Africa to fund this mission, and I recently met with a young entrepreneur who joined their Women in Business programme in 2020. Today, she’s running a thriving biotech company, a testament to the power of Cape Town’s entrepreneurial spirit and to the support we’re providing to help individuals turn their ideas into impact.
When it comes to economic development, I believe deeply in the transformative power of technology. Technology is more than a tool; it is a bridge to the future.
The City is excited to make Cape Town a focal point for African innovation, setting an example of how tech can power economic and social change.
