The Coega Development Corporation (Coega) recently welcomed the Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA) Association for a tour of the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The visit formed part of ABASA’s Annual Convention itinerary and aimed to showcase Coega’s service offerings and explore potential synergies between the two organisations.
The visit offered insights to the Coega SEZ’s ongoing developments, milestone projects, and skills and training programmes. During the visit, Coega and ABASA explored the possibility of leveraging strengths and areas of expertise to drive socio-economic development, mainly around Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills and enterprise development.
Coega Executive Manager of Business Development, Ms. Asanda Xawuka, provided an overview of Coega’s outcomes and key focus areas, including investment attraction, infrastructure development, SMME development and support, and hospitality, amongst others, in line with the organisation’s socio-economic development mandate.
The delegation had the opportunity to witness Coega’s key focus sectors, including Automotive, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Agro-processing, Logistics, Trade Solutions, Energy, and Maritime to name a few.
ABASA outgoing President, Ms. Linda Maqoma, expressed ABASA’s transformational objectives in terms of education, women empowerment, youth development and socioeconomic participation. “The accounting profession cuts across all industries. In terms of potential synergies, the Coega Maths and Science Programme, for example, feeds directly into what ABASA is advocating for. However, we are not limited to that. Enterprise development is equally vital. As ABASA, we are creating this platform as a conduit for economic transformation,” said Maqoma.
Since inception, Coega has emerged as a model of success, demonstrating the power of strategic collaboration, and its commitment to driving socio-economic growth.
Mr. Herbert Monadira, Senior Business Development Executive at Regenesys Corporate Education and Director at ABASA SPV1, delivered a word of gratitude on behalf of the ABASA delegation.
“This was truly an insightful visit. For organisations such as Coega to be impactful, you must love your community, and your programmes must show that. That is how people will advocate for what you do. We are thankful for Coega’s commitment to collaborating for impact.”
In conclusion, Coega is committed and open to exploring partnerships to promote economic growth in the region.
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Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) is a beautiful city located on the coast in the Eastern Cape Province and is known as the “Friendly City”, with other towns in this district including Kariega (Uitenage) and Despatch. Forming part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Gqeberha has stunning beaches, historical museums and memorials, award-winning wildlife sanctuaries and super friendly people, making it a spectacular holiday destination.
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Thuli Madonsela – Former Public Protector, Current Professor of Law, holding a chair in social justice at Stellenbosch University since January 2018. \”Thuli Madonsela is very centred. Her leadership style is non-reactive and very clearly on point. She signals her intention and she holds her presence. This gives her enormous integrity and adds credibility and moral authority to her professional presence,\” says Liz de Wet, course convenor of the Women in Leadership programme at the UCT Graduate School of Business. Thuli Madonsela\’s greatest influence on the business industry is being a voice of integrity and reminding business leaders of the importance of ethical governance and business practises. \”Business is in a position of power and privilege, and business has a voice‚ in the same way that when you become an advocate‚ you have a voice. It also means that you have an obligation to leverage your influence for good‚\” said Madonsela. In 2014, she made Time Magazine\’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2016, she was named Forbes Africa Person of the Year. In 2017, she won the 3rd Commonwealth Law Conference Rule of Law Award.