in developing countries have recently started to focus on retention and aftercare programs to stimulate local economic development. Buffalo City, through the success of its collaboration with key corporates like Mercedes Benz South Africa, could leverage local growth for the development of the economy through the establishment of collaborative agreements with existing investors. A robust investment promotion and aftercare program could serve to attract new investors, while promoting reinvestment from within current investors. The main aim of the study is to investigate whether the establishment of an official public and private sector partnership will not only serve to attract investment but will also provide critical aftercare and reinvestment services. In addition, the study examines key aspects relating to investment promotion and aftercare to review the learning gained to establish Buffalo City as an investment destination. It further engages diverse stakeholders who share their experiences of investment promotion and aftercare in Buffalo City. The research reviews investment promotion agencies like Wesgro and Durban Investment Promotion Agency. This study examines investment in Brazil, who like South Africa has a huge population dependant on grants, and Vietnam, who like South Africa is faced with huge infrastructure challenges. The research also reviews Malaysia's visionary move to facilitate business development which positioned Malaysia as one of the 20 best economies in the world. The literature review also explores Tangier, a Moroccan City, which like Buffalo City has a river port which facilitated economic development providing local inhabitants with modern infrastructure and amenities, unlocking the economic potential of the city. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies are used in this study to address nine research questions to determine whether current Buffalo City investors are satisfied and how the city is positioned as an investment-friendly destination. The analysis of the literature was incorporated into questionnaires for the face-to-face interviews and self-administered surveys for the respondents. An electronic questionnaire will be used as the main instrument to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The questionnaire will consist of both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Respondents will select a single option which is for calculation of statistical information and percentages of various types. Closed-ended questions thus enables the researcher to arrive at opinions about a product or service in a more efficient manner. Open-ended questions will be used at the end of the questionnaire to elicit accurate feedback and recommendations from the respondents as well. Ranking will be used to ascertain which six factors in order of importance respondents regard as most crucial in relation to service delivery. The findings from the research illustrates that Buffalo City does not have an official public and private sector partnership with a dedicated focus on aftercare services. This is demonstrated by 54,5% of respondents who indicate that they have a good relationship with BCMM, while the remaining 45,6 do not believe BCMM is competent. It is interesting to note, that 63,3% of respondents perceive Buffalo City to be an investor friendly destination, while 36,4% do not believe this to be the case. This further demonstrates the critical need for an effective aftercare program. The findings from the data also suggests that by improving basic service delivery, repairing roads, introducing cleaning and greening programs, improving public amenities, upgrading infrastructure and engaging with stakeholders, Buffalo City will not only position itself to retain current investors but will also attract new investors who will create jobs and enhance the economic growth and development of the city. The city will need to adopt a more robust and focused approach to investment promotion and facilitation in order to compete and succeed in both national and global markets. Buffalo City has to ensure that policies, regulatory frameworks and basic service delivery are enhanced to enable to improve the city's investment offering. The city has to focus on the establishment of a dedicated investment aftercare program not only to attract new investment, but also to retain current investors. Buffalo City needs to identify its competitive advantage as an investment destination, to meaningfully participate in foreign direct markets and to grow the local economy. The city must restructure and reorganize the regional ambition of investment winning and job creation to position itself as an attractive investment destination with a competitive business environment.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uct/oai:localhost:11427/32513 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Naina, Ruweida Anastacia |
| Contributors | Hirsch, Alan |
| Publisher | University of Cape Town, Faculty of Commerce, Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Master Thesis, Masters, MPhil |
| Format | application/pdf |
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