Gauteng Business 2016 edition

PROFILE
Catalyst for change
Fostering socio-economic development
and competitiveness in Gauteng.
GGDA Investment Project is the
construction of the Enterprise
Building 2 at The Innovation
Hub. The project is to create
about 80 construction job opportunities.
Possible partners
include National Treasury, the
IDC, the DBSA, the Department
of Science and Technology, the
City of Johannesburg and the
City of Tshwane.
Africa’s first international standard science and technology
park, The Innovation Hub (TIH), was established
by the Gauteng Provincial Government in
2001 to drive the development of smart industries
in Gauteng.
In line with the focus of the Gauteng Growth and
Development Strategy (GGDS), the TIH’s role in the
provincial innovation eco-system is to be a catalyst
for innovation and a key knowledge economy driver.
Key focus areas are ICT, biotechnology, renewable
energies and low carbon economy technologies
(green economy).
Current development projects
The three biggest projects on the TIH’s current
agenda are the Gauteng Growth Development
Agency (GGDA), Investment Project, the GGDA
Investment Biomass Gasification Project and the
BioSciences Park (Bio-Park) Project. The aim of the
The Biomass Gasification
Project’s primary objective is
to promote innovation by having
locally owned Intellectual
Property (IP) technology from
Biomass Gasification, while
boosting electricity service
coverage within Gauteng contributing to clean
energy generation, security and self-efficiency as
outlined in the Gauteng Green Economy Strategy.
The plant should ideally be co-located with a sawmill,
or in an area that has a lot of alien vegetation,
which would need to be cleared. The clearing of
alien vegetation can create between 10 to 20 jobs
in an area of 100 square kilometres.
The operation of the plant will also result in the
creation of another 14 jobs, bringing the total to
over 34 jobs in an area that would otherwise not
see any investment.
The BioSciences Park (Bio-Park) project will aim to
provide a nurturing environment for biotechnology
start-ups to develop and thrive to become important
commercial players, contributing to economic
growth. About 80 construction jobs will be created.
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