South Africa: 2010 Opens BPO, Tourism Opportunities for Gauteng

Johannesburg – The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), infrastructure and tourism are some of the opportunities presented by the 2010 Fifa World CupTM.
“In terms of business opportunities brought about by the 2010 Fifa World Cup, South African entrepreneurs can invest in infrastructure, particularly the maintenance of newly built structures, tourism and the BPO industry,” said Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Affairs, Mandla Nkomfe.
“The tourism industry is basically our new gold, as it contributes more than the actual gold mining industry does to the country’s Gross Domestic Product [GDP],” highlighted the MEC.
Speaking at the biggest inter-business soccer exhibition in the world, Soccerex 2008 on Wednesday, Nkomfe indicated that Gauteng was also the home of the BPO industry or call centre industry in South Africa.
Over 70 percent of all call centres in the country is based in Gauteng, he said, adding that in recognition of the importance of this industry, both IBM and Virgin Mobile have located their call centres in Gauteng. more