GEDA has a number of promotional activities in support of Gauteng's Blue IQ infrastructural investment drive.

Blue IQ is an infrastructure development initiative committed to identifying and developing projects that will increase existing infrastructure and investment opportunities in the province.

In the past year, Geda has helped, in particular, those areas of Blue IQ projects that are closely linked with the provincial trade and industrial strategy.

For example, the agency has successfully identified small companies suitable for participating in the developing Innovation Hub, near Pretoria, and has introduced the supply side benefits of the hub to industry.

The Gauteng automotive cluster at Rosslyn, near Pretoria, another Blue IQ initiative, centres on two projects, the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) and the Automotive Supplier Park.

Geda has succeeded in attracting interest in the manufacture of leather seats for the auto industry, along with potential involvement in what the AIDC can offer foreign own-equipment manufacturers, among others.

Geda packages the AIDC value proposition to potential foreign investors interested in the automotive industry, says the agency's CEO Charles Jonker.

Blue IQ apart, successful Geda strategic initiatives have been the Gold Trading Hub and the entry into film investment.

The hub serves as a centralised information resource to identify business opportunities between Gauteng and Asia. Geda has identified opportunities in a number of sectors that may be of interest to astute investors, Jonker says.

Among these are a train station and transport terminal development east of Johannesburg requiring an investment of about R150m.

There are also various tourism- related projects, such as a complex on the Vaal River, game lodges, bush retreats and conference venues in Gauteng, as well as wedding venues, all of which are said to be seeking investors.

A Brazilian-based pharmaceutical manufacturer wants to expand into SA and elsewhere in Africa, and is looking for jointventure partners for the manufacture and distribution of animal health products.

Various agroprocessing concerns are looking for potential investors in the arenas of granular fertiliser and meat processing.

Also, there are several opportunities for investors to get involved in call centre development in Gauteng.