Many sub regions and continents have been developed to a much higher degree than Africa. This leaves us with exciting growth opportunities in resource-rich Africa. One of the key focus areas for BEPEC is sub-Saharan Africa due to the growth opportunities in the region.

The North-South Corridor

BEPEC is collaborating with the DTI and key engineering and technology export councils to create a platform. This platform will be the interface between the private sector and government, and is envisaged to generate and mobilise financial resources and skills for the private sector to expedite projects that have not progressed beyond the conceptual phase.

About the North-South Corridor

In 2012, the African Union Commission appointed President Jacob Zuma as the champion of the North-South Corridor as part of a new initiative called the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative (PICI).

The North-South Corridor is the main trade route between Durban and Dar-es-Salaam, in Tanzania. The corridor will stretch from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, across the Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to South Africa, and incorporates seven countries in southern Africa [INSERT HYPERLINK – http://www.trademarksa.org/].

Projects located along the corridor in these seven countries will offer sustained opportunities for built environment professionals.

The project is part of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), an initiative for the development of infrastructure in Africa led by the African Union Commission (AUC), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Secretariat and the African Development Bank (ADB).

As a programme, PIDA seeks to tackle Africa’s infrastructure needs holistically, covering transportation, energy, trans-boundary water resources, and information and communications technology.

The Tete Business Facilitation Agency

BEPEC is collaborating with several engineering and technology export councils to establish a business facilitation base for operations in the Tete area in Mozambique.

Tete is an area rich in coking quality coal reserves, which are estimated to generate up to 110 million tons in exports per annum. This is an opportunity for BEPEC members to be involved in a project that will extend over a twenty year period.

The Tete Business Facilitation Agency will provide services and stage events that will reduce the cost and the risk of accessing the many opportunities related to the Tete coal deposits.

In the longer term we aim to replicate these business facilitation agencies in all the growth nodes along the North-South Corridor.

The following councils are involved in the Tete Business Facilitation Agency.

The South African Capital Equipment Export Council
South African Electrotechnical Export Council
South African International Steel Fabricators
Association of Steel Tube and Pipe Manufacturers of South Africa
The Railroad Association of South Africa