SA cities 'most competitive' on continent

[briker]

Johannesburg and Cape Town have been ranked as the most competitive African cities, according to a Citigroup report published yesterday.

The "Hot Spots" report ranked international cities that demonstrated their ability to attract capital, business, talent and tourists. Johannesburg and Cape Town were ranked 67th and 73rd, respectively.

"With a combined population of about 750 million, the 120 cities ranked in Hot Spots represent about 29 percent of the global economy and generated... $20.24 trillion (R161 trillion) in 2011," read the research.

Business Report
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I wouldnt expect anything less. The international rankings could be better though.

[briker]

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[briker]

Ranked: Africa’s most competitive cities

Despite Africa’s strong economic growth over the past decade, the continent’s cities still lag behind the rest of the world in terms of competitiveness.

Johannesburg is Africa's most competitive city.

Of the seven African cities included in a new Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report that ranks the competitiveness of 120 of the world’s major cities, not one African city made the top half of the index.

The top three African contenders are all South African cities, namely Johannesburg (67th), Cape Town (73rd) and Durban (94th).

The rankings are based on each city’s performance across eight broad categories: economic strength, human capital, institutional effectiveness, financial maturity, global appeal, physical capital, environment and natural hazards, and social and cultural character.

The EIU defines a city’s competitiveness as its ability to attract capital, business, talent and visitors.
Global City Competitiveness Index: Africa rankings

Ranking, City, Overall ranking, Score

1 Johannesburg, 67, 47.1

2 Cape Town, 73, 45.9

3 Durban, 94, 41.2

4 Cairo, 113, 35

5 Nairobi, 115, 34.6

6 Alexandria, 116, 31.8

7 Lagos, 119, 27.6

The report says that African cities such as Lagos and Nairobi are expected to expand rapidly over the coming years. “With … improvement in some other aspects of competitiveness – such as quality of infrastructure and their regulatory environments – these cities could rise up the Index rankings quickly.”

Overall New York (1st) and London (2nd) are ranked as the world’s most competitive cities. The US and western Europe account for 24 of the top 30 cities.

Asia’s economic rise is reflected in the economic competitiveness of its cities. Asian cities dominate the ‘economic strength’ category – which emphasises a city’s overall GDP, growth rate and relative income. Tianjin, Shenzhen and Dalian top the list, while nine other Chinese cities rank in the top 20. “The top 32 Asian cities are all forecast to grow by at least 5% annually between now and 2016. Twelve of them will grow by at least 10%. This is in stark contrast to the low single-digit growth of most developed market cities in Europe and the US,” says the report.

The most important strength of developed world cities is their ability to attract the world’s top talent. “European and American cities dominate the ‘human capital’ category of the Index. This stems primarily from the quality of their educational systems and the entrepreneurial mindset of their citizens. But other factors bolster their performance too, such as cultural activities and a generally good quality of life.”

Creating an appealing working and living environment for talented individuals will be critical for African cities looking to attract the world’s top companies. “I’ve always believed that talent attracts capital more effectively and consistently than capital attracts talent,” commented New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.

[xJamaax]

1 to 3 = SA

Good to see others like Nairobi, Alexandria and Lagos climbing the ladder.

[Uhuru na Umoja]

Originally Posted by xJamaax

1 to 3 = SA

Good to see others like Nairobi, Alexandria and Lagos climbing the ladder.

statistics are not reliable. I know South Africa very well. Most towers in Johannesburg are old model, dirty, dilapidated and full of "amakunduani" ("rats" in South African languages). Most of towers' lifts are not working particularly in Johannesburg.

[Lydon]

Originally Posted by Uhuru na Umoja

statistics are not reliable. I know South Africa very well. Most towers in Johannesburg are old model, dirty, dilapidated and full of "amakunduani" ("rats" in South African languages). Most of towers' lifts are not working particularly in Johannesburg.

And your point is? Countless new developments are going up across Johannesburg - in the likes of Sandton particularly (which is the richest square mile on the continent. That's excluding the countless refurbishments under way in many of the "old model, dirty, dilapidated" towers that I could easily spam with you.

With does that have to do with the city's competitiveness? At least Johannesburg HAS towers to be dilapidated

[Mintali]

Originally Posted by Lydon

And your point is? Countless new developments are going up across Johannesburg - in the likes of Sandton particularly (which is the richest square mile on the continent. That's excluding the countless refurbishments under way in many of the "old model, dirty, dilapidated" towers that I could easily spam with you.

With does that have to do with the city's competitiveness? At least Johannesburg HAS towers to be dilapidated

Ignore that clown, anything that is not Tanzanian is horrible to him.

[Dhuks]

Originally Posted by Lydon

And your point is? Countless new developments are going up across Johannesburg - in the likes of Sandton particularly (which is the richest square mile on the continent. That's excluding the countless refurbishments under way in many of the "old model, dirty, dilapidated" towers that I could easily spam with you.

With does that have to do with the city's competitiveness? At least Johannesburg HAS towers to be dilapidated

Pick your battles wisely man.

[Lydon]

Originally Posted by Dhuks

Pick your battles wisely man.

Oh please, a battle suggests it'd be a fight in the first place

[èđđeůx]

Do you think CT will catch Joburg in a few years?

But anyways damn Africa's highest is only at 67.

The report says that African cities such as Lagos and Nairobi are expected to expand rapidly over the coming years. “With … improvement in some other aspects of competitiveness – such as quality of infrastructure and their regulatory environments – these cities could rise up the Index rankings quickly.”

Hopefully Nairobi & Lagos climb the ranks in the future.

[xJamaax]

It will never catch Johannesburg!

Cape Town will forever be declining together with Durban, paving the way for the other cities outside SA.

[Lydon]

Originally Posted by xJamaax

It will never catch Johannesburg!

Cape Town will forever be declining together with Durban, paving the way for the other cities outside SA.

Shows how much you know With Durban's massive dug-out port expansion on the way, people are predicting that it could overtake Gauteng as South Africa's economic hub.




Durban's economic growth is outpacing the national average, as is Cape Town's. Cape Town, on the other hand, is making big investments in telecommunications and greening its economy, and rebranding itself as an attractive business destination. The ambitious plans for Saldanah - a harbour town outside of Cape Town - could have big knock-on effects for the Cape Town economy/Western Cape economy as a whole.

[Diggerdog]

Originally Posted by xJamaax

It will never catch Johannesburg!

Cape Town will forever be declining together with Durban, paving the way for the other cities outside SA.

Silly comments! Why would you need SA cities to 'decline' to 'pave the way' for other African cities? Just a negative and childish mentality.

Why not support ALL African growth and progress.

Anyway, as Lydon says, you are hopelessly incorrect. Durban is just beginning to flex its considerable muscle. It is already Africas leading port, and with the massive expansion, is set to become a real world player.

Cape Town, on tourism alone, is a star on the rise, not to mention its repositioning as a business centre, and international conference venue, plus Saldanha...it is not going to decline any time soon!

Lets hope other African cities just leverage their own resources and start to shine - they dont need to worry about CT and Durban - they just need to look after themselves, and maybe help each other.

[hsark]

Originally Posted by xJamaax

It will never catch Johannesburg!

Cape Town will forever be declining together .

cape town declining lol thats just ludicrous as this is coming from a non-south african

[annman]

Originally Posted by xJamaax

It will never catch Johannesburg!

Cape Town will forever be declining together with Durban, paving the way for the other cities outside SA.

That comment doesn't even warrant rebuttal. Someone should really tell Alan Gray, Old Mutual, Saldanha IDZ, Accelerate Cape Town, Cape Town Partnership, World Design Capital, WCape Economic Development Partnership, CTICC, WC Dept. of Public Works they'd better stop doing things, because we NEED to decline.

This growth is completely unacceptable.

[SUNS 25]

Very debatable ranking. Durban better classified than Cairo. Not same Casablanca of Morocco on this list. But well every economic institution can make its ranking.

[Mintali]

We've already had a similar thread with the very same information.

[Naija Attitude]

SA Cities are not the most competitive in Africa... they are the BEST in Africa.

[Diggerdog]

There are good signs of improvement all over Africa, but such a long way to go.

South African cities are leading the way in Africa, but we need to compete with the rest of the world - so we all have a lot of room for improvement.

[Naija Attitude]

Forget about competing against the world, lets compete against ourselves first.