The City of Cape Town’s Invest Cape Town team, in collaboration with the Economic Analysis unit, successfully hosted the first-ever Invest Cape Town Business Breakfast on the 24th June 2025 at the City Hall. This strategic event brought together business leaders, policymakers, and economic analysts for a focused session aimed at advancing economic growth, investment, and collaboration across sectors.
The Business Breakfast served as a platform to facilitate open dialogue, promote public-private partnerships, share key economic insights, and raise awareness of the City’s ongoing business support initiatives. It forms part of the City’s broader mission to build a confident, resilient economy that attracts investment and generates sustainable employment.
Key Insights Driving Confidence and Growth
Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, delivered the opening remarks, reinforcing the City’s commitment to creating a competitive and enabling business environment. His address focused on positioning Cape Town as a city of opportunity – one that leverages innovation, infrastructure, and proactive policy to attract investment and generate sustainable employment.
Craig Lemboe, Deputy Director at the Bureau for Economic Research, shared a macroeconomic perspective on South Africa’s economy amid global disruptions and local challenges, giving attendees an honest yet strategic overview of the economic landscape. His insights were particularly valuable to business leaders seeking to scale sustainably in uncertain times.
Paul Court, Manager of Economic Analysis, Policy and Strategy for the City, followed with a detailed Cape Town Economic Update, spotlighting the city’s economic performance. His presentation addressed key indicators such as GDP and labour market trends, offered insights into sectoral shifts using SARS data, and summarised Cape Town’s trade activity. He concluded by reaffirming the City’s commitment to enabling economic growth through infrastructure prioritisation.
Attendees engaged actively during Q&A sessions, exploring ways to translate data into actionable growth strategies.
Driving Real-World Impact
Many participants expressed that the insights shared during the session will help inform their future business decisions – from scaling operations to entering new markets and leveraging city support mechanisms. The event also opened doors for new partnerships, with several stakeholders noting alignment between their organisational goals and the City’s economic vision.
UVU Africa, one of the attendees, reflected on how the event reinforced the value of their work in driving youth-centred innovation and inclusive growth, a sentiment echoed by others across sectors.
Looking Ahead
In her closing remarks, Jodie Posen, Head of Economic Intelligence, Policy and Strategy, emphasised the importance of continued collaboration and data-informed engagement in shaping Cape Town’s future economy.
A Promising Start to Ongoing Economic Dialogue
The success of this inaugural Business Breakfast signals a promising step toward more regular, informative and targeted engagements between the city and its economic stakeholders. Invest Cape Town remains committed to fostering platforms that not only connect people and ideas but also translate dialogue into action.
