Western Cape to position Cape Town as ‘Africa’s Tech Capital’

The Western Cape government has announced the launch of a new brand that aims to position Cape Town and the Western Cape province as the “Tech Capital” of Africa.

The announcement was made by Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities David Maynier on 5 November.

According to the statement, the brand will promote the Western Cape as a leader of the African tech ecosystem. This is based on the number of technology and digital businesses based in Cape Town and Stellenbosch.

The provincial government also highlights that there are over 22 active incubators and accelerators for digital and tech businesses in the Western Cape.

Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities James Vos said that the majority of South Africa’s startups are in Cape Town.

“Cape Town is home to the vast majority (almost 60%) of South Africa’s start-ups,” he said.

The provincial government has called on businesses and tourism initiatives to promote the new “Africa’s Tech Capital” moniker. It has partnered with Wesgro, CiTi, Silicon Cape, LaunchLab, and Startup Bootcamp to launch the new branding.

Joining the Cape Town Tech Capital marketing initiative

Companies can sign up to participate in the positioning initiative by submitting their details through an online form.

“We need to affirm our status as leader of the African tech ecosystem, and declare this on the international stage,” the website says.

“This will attract international investment and funding, reinforce our brand to stimulate exports of our tech products and services, stimulate up-take of tech in our local industries, and raise awareness of tech career opportunities amongst our youth.”

However, the province has stiff competition considering the tech hubs on the rest of the continent. Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya also have reputations for their innovative tech startups.

But the city plans to market itself as a tech capital, thereby attracting more tech business investment.

Feature image: Megan Ellis/Memeburn

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