The Western Cape’s bid to have the west coast town of Atlantis declared a special economic zone (SEZ) for the green technology sector looks set to become a reality after the SEZ advisory board recommended that it be given the go-ahead. Though the final decision now rests with trade & industry minister Rob Davies, government has long been behind the project, which is aimed at increasing domestic and foreign direct investment. Cape Town has put sustained effort into driving the growth of the country’s green economy, including through the launch last month of a R1bn green bond to fund climate adaptation and mitigation initiatives. It was four times oversubscribed. The province is already home to about 60% of SA’s green project developers — companies involved in producing lower-carbon and more resource-efficient products and technologies. The Atlantis SEZ could allow it to cement its position as the green-economy hub for sub-Saharan Africa. Mike Mulcahy, who heads GreenCape — the develo...

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