THE announcement by the Eastern Cape MEC, Vuyo Mvoko, of a new investment in the business process outsourcing sector, confirms that the Nelson Mandela Bay economy continues to be on a steady upward trajectory.
The company, named Outworx, will open a business process outsourcing (BPO) call centre business servicing reputable insurance businesses from the United Kingdom and South Africa. The company projects will create 500 jobs for young people within the first 12 months.
Speaking at a recent investment announcement event, Mvoko said he was excited that Nelson Mandela Bay is starting to show steady signs of improvement.
“The work behind the scenes to create an enabling environment for investments is starting to bear fruit.
“I am also pleased that NMB is working hard with potential investors to make sure that potential investments are turned into secured investments,” said Mvoko.
He also said that what encourages more on this investment is the fact that it is focusing on young people, considering the current unemployment rate in the Eastern Cape.
Outworx CEO, Robin Hoekstra, said it was exciting that he was bringing an investment to the city of his birth. “Our investment is within an area that is on a growth trajectory. This then means within three years of our operations, we might have created about 2 000 jobs,” Hoekstra said.
He said that the logistical preparation for the start of operations in at an advanced stage.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality acting executive director for Economic Development, Mpho Pebane, said he was encouraged that there was an appetite from business to invest in the metro.
“We have done intensive work on investment promotion, post-COVID-19. Subsequent to that, we have seen big companies which are based within Nelson Mandela Bay committing to expansion of their operations; new big investments have already come our way, while our tourism industry has also made a full recovery.
“The state of affairs is indicating to us that we have turned the corner,” Bepane concluded.
