Page 6 - KZN Business Sense - Vol6 No2 -eBook

FIRST STOP SHOP

nvest Durban was (retail, commercial and housing, ■ Durban Automotive Cluster
recommended by the for example) and they should (DAC)
IDurban City Council and fit in with the United Nation’s ■ Durban Chemical Cluster
organised private business as Sustainable Development Goals. (DCC)
the First Stop Shop to stimulate ■ eThekwini Maritime Cluster
new investment in the Durban The Point Waterfront (EMC)
metropolis. We act as a Development, for example, ■ KZN Furniture Incubator
partnership between the Metro fits very well into the category ■ Agro-processing development
City Council and the private of a catalytic project. Some programmes
business sector, offering a free projections put the potential
investor advisory service, plus investment value at R40-billion Research aims to find out how
key promotion, facilitation, and and the number of permanent best to grow particular economic
aftercare services between all jobs to be created at 6 750. It sectors, and in-depth discussions
investment stakeholders. is an ambitious plan that is are held about how to develop
already linking the city’s beach and grow value chains. The
Invest Durban delivers a promenade and the harbour. wealth of KwaZulu-Natal is
world-class Metro based investor mostly consumed or exported in
support service, encompassing The Point Waterfront its raw state - much more could
our four part business mandate, Development offers a property be done to add value through
namely investment promotion use mix of office space, retail processing.
and marketing; foreign shops, residential dwellings
investment identification, and leisure options. The 55 ha The priority sectors are:
attraction and facilitation; FDI site has already seen significant ■ Automotive and allied
aftercare and expansion, plus investment. A new cruise line industries
investment advocacy. terminal in the harbour, backing
on to the Point will dovetail well ■ Logistics and logistics
Invest Durban works together with the new atmosphere of the management
with organisations such as the precinct. ■ ICT and BPS (Information
Department of Trade & Industry & Comm’s Tech, plus business
including Invest SA, Trade and Other major projects, amongst process services)
Investment KZN (TIKZN), the others, include the: ■ Agri-processing
Durban Chamber of Commerce ■ GO!Durban Transport ■ Life sciences (including
and Industry, the KZN Growth Oriented Development, which pharmaceuticals, medical
Coalition, and State-Owned has already received major device manufacturing, plus
Enterprises such as Dube road upgrades and will be an health facilities)
TradePort, the DBSA, IDC, even greater enabler of trade ■ Tourism asset development
Eskom, ACSA and others. ■ Centrum Government Precinct
which would formalise the Some of these initiatives play
Categories relationship between buildings to the existing strengths of the
The thrust of Durban’s such as the International regional economy, some seek to
exploit newer avenues as in the
proposition to attract investors Convention Centre (and emphasis on the environment
can be put into three broad extensions) and a related hotel, and a growing interest in the
categories: the library, council chambers oceans’ economy. A variety of
■ Premium Destination; a and the redevelopment of Gugu projects link tourism, renewable
business and lifestyle Dlamini Park energy generation, recycling and
environment most conducive to ■ Cornubia integrated human job creation.
profitable, sustainable, with settlement development
ample land available north of Durban, on 1 300 ha, There are various other
■ Catalytic Projects, which have a partnership between Tongaat broader programmes which
the potential to shift the socio- Hulett Development, the have their own goals, but there
economic landscape and trigger human settlement departments will be positive spin-offs for
a series of investments across at national and provincial level the targeted sectors. These
several sectors and eThekwini municipality schemes include the drive to
■ Priority Sectors, which receive ■ Dube TradePort, the multi- increase local content, boosting
the focus of planners in a modal facility at King Shaka metal fabrication across
variety of ways, including International Airport sectors, the promotion of black
the creation of clusters and Cluster Initiatives industrialists, promoting exports
the development of value and the over-arching eThekwini
chains to promote new ventures Durban has a very diverse Industrial Development Policy
and investment opportunities. economic landscape, within Action Plan.
which there are some large-
Catalytic Projects Companies operating in these
scale enterprises. Cooperation key sectors are invited to contact
Durban is working on a between the public and private Invest Durban and benefit from
number of large-scale projects sectors is formalised by the large these initiatives! 
that have the potential to make a number of cluster initiatives
regional impact. The location of which aim to draw to together
these projects is vital. They must experience and expertise from T: +27 (0)31 311 4227
either be on national trade routes commerce and industry, labour E: invest@durban.gov.za
or they should help to break organisations, government and W: www.invest.durban
down the old apartheid living/ academia.
working dynamics. Projects are Under manufacturing,
selected for their scale in terms the following clusters or
of job creation, investment size programmes are active:
and potential revenue creation.
Ideally, the projects should ■ KZN Clothing and Textile
include a combination of uses Cluster (KZN CTC)

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