ABSA BECOMES COEGA’S FIRST BPO INVESTOR
South African retail bank Absa has become the first investor in the Business Process Outsourcing cluster of the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ), an investment that would create 94 new jobs, the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) and Absa reported.
"The project came at the right time when we were making a concerted effort to attract companies in the BPO sector," CDC business development executive Khwezi Tiya said, adding that the CDC was also in talks with a number of international companies regarding the cluster.
The CDC and Absa stated in a joint-media release that the 94 employees would be recruited from nearby economically depressed areas surrounding the IDZ, which the bank's Contact Centre head Andy Rigg said was part of the Absa's strategy of combining business with social imperatives.
The Absa Contact Centre at Coega had already started in January as a proof of concept, with the outbound facility presently employing 105 people from nearby townships. The majority of these residents had previously been unemployed or had little work experience.
"The close proximity of the project to the townships ensured more economic benefits to the region and local infrastructure and skills base in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was used to the fullest. There was also a good degree of knowledge and skills transfer to support and uplift the local business community," said Rigg.
He added that the project also delivered on customer-centricity. "The operation enhances Absa's offerings by using a skills profile that customers can relate to with regards to language, accessibility, maturity and excellent service standards," he explained.
By: Creamer Media
Issue date: 04/08/2008 | Creamer Media
