The Coega Development Corporation (Coega) recently welcomed the Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA) Association for a tour of the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The visit formed part of ABASA’s Annual Convention itinerary and aimed to showcase Coega’s service offerings and explore potential synergies between the two organisations.
The visit offered insights to the Coega SEZ’s ongoing developments, milestone projects, and skills and training programmes. During the visit, Coega and ABASA explored the possibility of leveraging strengths and areas of expertise to drive socio-economic development, mainly around Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills and enterprise development.
Coega Executive Manager of Business Development, Ms. Asanda Xawuka, provided an overview of Coega’s outcomes and key focus areas, including investment attraction, infrastructure development, SMME development and support, and hospitality, amongst others, in line with the organisation’s socio-economic development mandate.
The delegation had the opportunity to witness Coega’s key focus sectors, including Automotive, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Agro-processing, Logistics, Trade Solutions, Energy, and Maritime to name a few.
ABASA outgoing President, Ms. Linda Maqoma, expressed ABASA’s transformational objectives in terms of education, women empowerment, youth development and socioeconomic participation. “The accounting profession cuts across all industries. In terms of potential synergies, the Coega Maths and Science Programme, for example, feeds directly into what ABASA is advocating for. However, we are not limited to that. Enterprise development is equally vital. As ABASA, we are creating this platform as a conduit for economic transformation,” said Maqoma.
Since inception, Coega has emerged as a model of success, demonstrating the power of strategic collaboration, and its commitment to driving socio-economic growth.
Mr. Herbert Monadira, Senior Business Development Executive at Regenesys Corporate Education and Director at ABASA SPV1, delivered a word of gratitude on behalf of the ABASA delegation.
“This was truly an insightful visit. For organisations such as Coega to be impactful, you must love your community, and your programmes must show that. That is how people will advocate for what you do. We are thankful for Coega’s commitment to collaborating for impact.”
In conclusion, Coega is committed and open to exploring partnerships to promote economic growth in the region.
