On Thursday, 5 September, the Coega Development Corporation (Coega) welcomed top Executives from Tabono for a tour of the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Gqeberha. The tour aimed to showcase the Coega SEZ’s world-class infrastructure, logistical capabilities, development and operational advancements, seaport integration and transshipment.
Tabono is actively exploring opportunities in Africa’s mining, energy, industrial services, and logistics sectors. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Reon Barnard, expressed a strong desire to learn more about Coega’s strategic and transformative initiatives and operational achievements as a leading SEZ Developer and Infrastructure Implementing Agent in South Africa.
“As Tabono, we are a committed growth partner with a focus on driving economic development across Africa, specialising in forming strategic partnerships, making capital investments, and utilising our deep industry expertise to influence key sectors that are vital to Africa’s future.”
Our visit to Coega is driven by our desire to collaborate with entities that share our vision of transforming innovative ideas into successful projects that drive economic growth and development,” said Barnard.
In addition to showcasing Coega’s successful projects, the tour highlighted the SEZ’s bulk infrastructure, robust logistics systems, and industry synergies. A visit to the Port of Ngqura, a key component of the SEZ’s logistics network, and the Orion Engineered Carbons (OEC) facility in Zone 7, provided valuable operational insights.
Dr. Ayanda Vilakazi, Coega’s Head of Marketing, Brand and Communications, highlighted the visit by Tabono as a market signal to Coega’s commitment to knowledge sharing and collaboration for market development and economic growth. “We are committed to continuous learning and improvement, collaboration, and innovation. We are proud to share our expertise with industry partners. Our goal is to promote and attract investment and to foster economic development in the region and rest of the African continent.
We are proud to also announce the approval of the first limited recourse capital transaction in the public sector, aimed at supporting our renewable energy project pipeline. New investments from companies such as Medigrow, Coega Steels, and Hella Automotive are further bolstering the growth of the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and generating employment opportunities.”
Coega’s success as a leading African SEZ is attributed to its well-defined value, namely “twelve reasons to invest at Coega,” which include strategic location east and west shipping trade route), world-class infrastructure, effective processes, and systems, Plug and Play model of development, and a clean audit for the past five years, to name but a few. Our dedicated team, supported by ISO-certified systems and strong internal controls, has maintained the highest standards of financial reporting and transparency.
As a leading SEZ, Coega remains committed to setting new standards for sustainable economic growth and innovation on the continent, concludes Dr. Vilakazi.
Find Business Accommodation in Gqeberha HERE
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.
Watch a Random Port Elizabeth video:
prometheus
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.