The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos, joined tech industry partner, UVU Africa (formerly the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative), for the graduation of 24 entrepreneurs from the City-funded Youth in Business programme.
The cohort’s graduation follows a 10-day bootcamp developed to help them think through their business concepts and provide them with the necessary steps to start their business.
‘As a City, we are deeply proud to have invested in this programme. For me, skills development must become our top priority if we are to sustain our economy and support our population. Quite simply, we cannot resolve our challenges if we don’t have a skilled workforce that can keep those industries going. Or if we don’t have entrepreneurs such as yourselves that think of innovative new ways to respond to those challenges.
The event saw each graduate pitch their early-stage business ideas to guests from the public and private sectors.
Earlier in the week, Alderman Vos and UVU Africa’s team addressed delegates at the Africa Tech Festival. The event is the continent’s biggest live tech gathering with 15 000 people attending.
‘We are privileged to be hosting the tech industry in Cape Town, Africa’s tech capital. We recognise the industry is a continued economic driver in our country and certainly within the City of Cape Town, attracting investment, driving exports and creating jobs. Cape Town is the home of a spectrum of tech businesses, from micro-enterprises in the informal sector, start-ups to global multinationals, and represents a vibrant, engaged community. This makes it a powerful driver of inclusive economic development and job creation,’ said Alderman Vos.
