City renews strategic industry partnerships to drive jobs and investment
The City of Cape Town has secured its Service Delivery Agreements with its strategic industry partners for the 2026/27 financial year, continuing a model that puts specialist sector expertise at the centre of our economic growth strategy.
The City works with a network of Special Purpose Vehicles and strategic partners, including BlueCape, UVU Africa, CapeBPO, Wesgro, Cape Town Tourism, the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster, Craft + Design Institute, GreenCape, the Greater Tygerberg Partnership and the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership.
These are deliberately selected within sectors where Cape Town has a competitive advantage and where specialised knowledge can unlock growth.
And the results speak for themselves. In 2025/26, City-funded SPV projects contributed R18,9 billion in investment and 15 948 direct jobs. We see the impact across the economy.
BlueCape is helping strengthen our marine manufacturing industry, with Cape Town recognised as a global leader in offshore catamaran production and exporting vessels to international markets.
In clothing and textiles, the scale of our manufacturing capability is significant, with an estimated 140 million garments made in Cape Town for local retailer supply chains (more than a quarter of the 402 million garments reported by the R-CTFL Masterplan’s Aggregator Process as sourced domestically).
CapeBPO has helped drive record growth in business process outsourcing, with more than 11 000 jobs created in the sector in the 2025/26 financial year.
GreenCape is unlocking investment and helping businesses grow in the green economy, while UVU Africa is building the digital and biotechnology skills needed for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
Through Wesgro, we are opening international markets, attracting investment and connecting Cape Town businesses to opportunities beyond our borders. The Craft + Design Institute is strengthening our creative economy and supporting hundreds of SMMEs, while the Greater Tygerberg Partnership is helping drive economic activity and place-making in Bellville and surrounding areas.
Having visited businesses across the city, from factory floors to boardrooms, I have seen first-hand the craftsmanship, innovation and ambition that exists within these sectors.
That is precisely why this model matters.
Government does not always have all the answers. The people working in these industries every day understand their sectors inside out. They know where the opportunities are, what is holding businesses back and what is needed to compete.
If we are serious about jobs, we need that expertise at the table. The new agreements will therefore focus on what matters most: investment, exports, skills, business growth and jobs.
This is the approach we will continue to back: government creating the conditions for growth, industry bringing the expertise, and together turning Cape Town’s economic potential into real jobs and investment.
