A little bit more than two years after the sod was turned, biotech giant Roche last week officially opened its new diagnostics centre in Brackengate 2 Business Park, in Brackenfell.
The opening of this site marks an investment of an estimated R700 million and brings with it employment opportunities for around 300 people in the first three years of operation.
The business centre includes laboratories, a biotech production capacity and office workspace.
The new expansion will envisage research, product development and production for export from Cape Town.
The company in May 2020 successfully developed a Covid-19 antibody test, that has since been produced and shipped worldwide.
“It is incredibly gratifying to be present for this moment after I joined the Roche team for the sod-turning ceremony in January 2020 and then a few months later witnessed the construction on the site,” said James Vos, the City’s Mayco member for economic growth at the opening.
“Roche’s new space is an endorsement of Cape Town as a leading investment hub in Africa, particularly in technology and specifically in health-tech.
“I am exceptionally proud of the work done by the Investment Facilitation Branch (IFB), located within the City’s enterprise and investment department, that led discussions with the Roche executives and helped carry this deal over the line,” says Vos.
Since its establishment in 2017, the IFB has according to Vos engaged with hundreds of businesses to secure or grow their operations in the Mother City unlocking investments worth billions of rands and thousands of job opportunities.
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, the Roche Group employs over 94 000 people in 100 countries and has developed many lifesaving medicines among which antibiotics, cancer medication and antimalarials.
