Gauteng Business 2016 edition

PROFILE
Gauteng Growth
and Development
Agency (GGDA)
Gauteng may be the smallest South African province in terms of land size, but it remains
the economic engine of the country and an important economy in Africa.
In an effort to enhance the role of the Gauteng
Provincial Government in driving investment,
growth and innovation in the provincial economy,
all of the Gauteng provincial agencies were restructured
in 2012. This led to the Gauteng Growth and
Development Agency (GGDA) coming into existence
through a merger between the Gauteng Economic
Development Agency (GEDA) and Blue IQ Holdings
(Pty) Ltd.
Key considerations for the GDED were that the
merger should achieve a greater synergy and avoid
duplication of services which had previously overlapped,
in order to improve efficiency. The story
of the GGDA is one of careful planning, targeted
implementation and a tight focus on building local
and regional economies for sustainable livelihoods,
enhanced economic competitiveness and the creation
of an enabling environment for growth.
The company’s mandate is to serve as the implementation
arm of the Gauteng Department of Economic
Development and to assist the department to lead,
facilitate and manage sustainable job creation and
inclusive economic growth and development in the
Gauteng City Region.
The Mandate’s Core Focus Areas:
Business Enablement
The GGDA works with national government and
related public entities, such as the South African
Revenue Service (SARS), to create an environment
that is more conducive for doing business for multinationals,
large local companies and SMMEs. This
may include engaging with national government to
propose regulatory changes, as well as establishing
a ‘one-stop-shop’ for doing business in Gauteng.
The GGDA will target specific sectors to enable business
to operate more effectively, actively addressing
constraints specific to those sectors.
Capital Projects
The GGDA works with other spheres of government
and the private sector to develop transformative
infrastructure aimed at changing the way in which
the province operates. It does not duplicate the work
directly within the ambit of other departments, such
as Public Works, Transport, Health and Education,
but identifies projects that are catalytic, crosscutting,
multi-sectoral and complex to manage. The
particular expertise of the GGDA lies in designing
large-scale projects, leveraging the necessary stakeholder
and financial support and building the client
base required to utilise the infrastructure.
Trade and Investment Promotion
In order to stimulate and maintain inward and
outward trade and investment, the GGDA actively
promotes Gauteng’s target sectors both locally as
well as internationally. It works with industry bodies
to determine appropriate strategies for identified
import and export markets. In order to support
emerging entrepreneurs within the selected sectors,
the GGDA actively seeks market entry points
for qualifying companies.
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2016
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