By Amy Musgrave
Wesgro, which is the Western Cape government’s trade and investment promotion entity, has secured R7.75 billion in committed investment in 2023/24.
This will see 3913 jobs being created over the next five years, DA Western Cape economic development and tourism spokesperson Noko Masipa said on Sunday.
South Africa’s green economy is growing, and Masipa said it had emerged as a key investment driver, representing 57% of the new projects facilitated.
In addition, 157 trade declarations were secured by Wesgro, to the value of around R6.8 billion, resulting in 4 948 jobs.
This was revealed during the tabling of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism and its entities’ annual reports in the provincial legislature this week.
The Western Cape government has prioritised job creation through its Growth for Jobs Strategy, “and the evidence of an economy picking up momentum can be seen in the sterling work done by Wesgro to bring more jobs to the province”, Masipa said in a statement.
He mentioned other achievements in the annual reports.
They included 1244 individuals were registered as tourist guides, 400 beneficiaries supported with tourism safety services, 72 businesses were supported with export-readiness interventions, and the business support helpline service recorded 336 cases being logged by businesses, with a 93% resolution rate.
“The DA in the Western Cape commends the Department of Economic Development and Tourism on its outstanding work to enable greater economic growth in the province.
“It is only through economic growth that we can achieve a sustainable improvement in the lives of our residents,” he said.
According to research released by finance agency FSD Africa, five countries in Africa are expected to create 30% (930,000) jobs of the new green economy by 2030.
South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria represent the highest job creation potential with joint 25% of total expected jobs (755,000 jobs).
The country’s reflect considerable diversity, such as hydro being the leading employer in DRC at 16,000 and Ethiopia at 33,000, solar in South Africa at 140,000 and Kenya at 111,000, and aquaculture and poultry in Nigeria at 69,000.
The Green Jobs in Africa report, which was also compiled by talent advisory firm Shortlist, shows that the country has the highest employment impact potential across the solar value chain, similarly so for the wind energy sector.
INSIDE POLITICS
