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Northern Cape Business 2021-22

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  • Kimberley
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  • Upington
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The 2021/22 edition of Northern Cape Business is the 11th issue of this highly successful publication that has, since its launch in 2009, has established itself as the premier business and investment guide for the Northern Cape Province. Officially supported and used by the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Northern Cape Business is unique as a business and investment guide that focuses exclusively on the province. In addition to comprehensive overviews of sectors of the economy, this publication outlines in detail specific investment opportunities that the provincial government has packaged in a variety of sectors. Chief among these are the Special Economic Zones and industrial parks that are designed to act as catalysts for economic growth. Mining and agriculture are the core economic sectors at the heart of many of the offerings, with downstream and related sectors such as manufacturing and logistics offering many opportunities for the investor community.

A REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF

A REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE The world’s biggest radio astronomy project, South Africa’s largest mining venture and a renewed interest in renewable energy are driving investment in the Northern Cape. By John Young Arecurring theme in South African newspaper headlines for the last decade has been the decline of local construction companies. Low growth in the national economy and a stalled national infrastructure plan were cited as reasons for pessimism. The March 2021 announcement of the awarding of a R212-million contract to Concor and OptiPower to work on the MeerKAT radio telescope array in the Northern Cape was a welcome antidote to that narrative. The national picture has also become more positive, in that a presidential commission has kickstarted a series of large infrastructure projects. But in the Northern Cape, there has been something to smile about for the construction sector for some time. Not only is the MeerKAT expanding as it fits into the much larger Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project but Vedanta Zinc International is ramping up production of its zinc mine in the Namakwa District and South Africa’s highly praised programme for attracting private investors into the renewable energy sector is back on track. Concor will build foundations for 24 new dishes, 40km of gravel access roads, gatehouses, guardhouses and a construction camp for 250 people. OptiPower will electrify the works and provide fibre connectivity. The Concor- OptiPower joint venture will design a further 109 satellite foundations. The high-tech nature of the telescope project means that contractors have to be very careful. There can be no radio frequency interference (RFI) anywhere near the telescope array and so the project office of the contractors has been set up in Carnarvon, nearly 100km away from the site. Even the trucks used to transport materials to the site have to be carefully monitored as most of them have sophisticated tracking equipment and communications, all of which can upset the sensitive dishes. NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2021/22 8

SPECIAL FEATURE Credit: Kevin Wright/Vedanta Zinc International The creation of the Northern Cape Innovation Forum (NCIF) points to the way ahead for the province. The NCIF intends to bring together academics, government and business leaders, civil society and labour, to consider the impact of innovation and technology, and to work out how best they can be harnessed to the maximum advantage of all citizens. The project is led by Sol Plaatje University with support from the National Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the Technology Localisation Implementation Unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Sol Plaatje University in Kimberley has a strong suit in teacher training, but an expanding curriculum speaks both to being able to exploit the SKA link through subjects such as ICT and data science and an appreciation of the past via heritage studies and paleo-sciences. The university’s location in an arid region means that future programmes will be developed to study agriculture in water-stressed conditions. Building on the campus, which will eventually cover 190 000m², is expected to continue for another decade. Investment With mining, renewable energy and astronomy leading the way, the Northern Cape is preparing the way for the next wave of investment. An Investment Conference held in 2019 showcased a number of initiatives being taken by the Provincial Government of the Northern Cape to attract investors and to make the experience of investing easier. The Northern Cape Investment Booklet provides a comprehensive overview of the province’s assets and advantages, together with a list of investable projects in a wide range of sectors. Key projects are linked to broader spatial and sectoral plans that play to the province’s strengths. Among these high-impact projects are: • Kathu Industrial Park • Namakwa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) • Northern Cape Metals Industrial Cluster. The major investment by Vedanta Zinc International is expected to underpin the development of the SEZ and to spark increased industrial and economic development in the region, along with new investments. A multi-nodal corridor is envisaged for the province, running from the Atlantic coast to the commodity-rich Gamagara mining corridor in the vicinity of Kuruman. A deepsea port is proposed at Boegoebaai, which would serve as a conduit for mineral resources and other products of the Northern Cape to be exported. Invest SA, through the National Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) has established a provincial One Stop Shop for investors, lowering the cost of investing and helping to iron out any bureaucratic delays. Another angle for attracting investors to the province is to improve infrastructure. This is being done in terms of roadworks (with the South African National Roads Agency, SANRAL), waterworks and information and information and communications technology (ICT). A range of organisations are working on bringing the province up to date with the latest in ICT. This includes the National Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) which is paying for bursaries for students in data science at Sol Plaatje University and training electrical engineers and fibre optic technicians. The DSI is a key participant in the SKA programme. 9 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2021/22

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