Local Economic Development

Local Economic Development Overview

Updated: April 2006

Objectives

The ARP's Local Economic Development initiative seeks to:

• Facilitate job creation within Alexandra and the wider regional economy.

• Promote the creation and growth of small enterprises owned and managed by Alexandra entrepreneurs.

• Foster productive economic linkages between Alexandra and the wider regional economy.

• Facilitate the development of skills to enable Alexandra residents to participate in the economy.

• Enhance the stability and growth prospects of the Alexandra and surrounding economy

Details follow below

Improving access to marketable skills

• Construction sector skills strategy: development of a critical mass of marketable skills in construction and engineering.

• Auto Services: promoting marketable skills for residents of Alexandra in the auto sector.

• Tourism Skills Programme: development of a critical mass of marketable skills in the tourism sector.

• Care Worker Programme: developing care-worker development skills with Alexandra social institutions being used as a base.

• Soft Policing Programme: developing a ‘soft policing programme’ that can service Alexandra and non Alexandra sites for example tourism sites, schools etc.

Investment attraction, retention and expansion

• Backroom business services: fostering IT related business services, starting with backroom business services like call centre functions, insurance claim processing etc. The programme includes identifying niches and potential first investors and developing a skills plan.

• Africa Trading Hub: promoting opportunities for development in the Greater Alexandra Region arising from the gaps and market niches in relation to trade within Africa.

• Retail Sector Strategy: strengthening the retail industry so as to encourage reinvestment and development and also promote asset ownership by residents of Alexandra.

• Informal Sector Strategy: developing innovative approaches to the informal sector in Pan Africa Square and Alexandra as a whole that enables both enhanced income and asses ownership, as well as orderliness.

• Tourism Development: facilitating links between Alexandra businesses and residents and the growing tourism market in Gauteng. Such links include for example catering and hospitality service businesses, heritage sites and locations, entertainment nodes etc.

• Housing Materials Production and Distribution: promotes the production and distribution of building materials and related products by emerging business in Alexandra.

Developing institutions that are supportive to business

• Small Business Development:

  • The establishment of a Local Business Service Centre.

  • Promoting Small Businesses by linking such businesses to institutions which provide support.

  • Undertaking a business audit in order to understand the existing economic activities in Alexandra.

  • Undertaking a business competition so as to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation.

• Building Business Forums and Co-operation:

  • Facilitating stakeholder participation so as to build relationships with existing business in order to create an environment that will encourage participation and investment into the Alexandra area.

  • Develop an overarching strategy for city improvement districts for the Greater Alexandra Region.

Promoting and stabilising strategic nodes and corridors

• Upgrading and stabilising Kew and Wynberg

• Redeveloping the Pan Africa Triangle