Four CodeTribe graduates used their software development skills to build a provincial digital platform supporting investment promotion and helping investors access information about doing business in the Northern Cape.

Digital skills create meaningful opportunities when they are used to solve real challenges. For four graduates of mLab’s CodeTribe Software Development programme, that opportunity came through developing the provincial InvestSA One Stop Shop website for the Northern Cape Economic Development, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (NCEDA).

The project demonstrates how young developers can apply their skills to professional projects while contributing to digital solutions that support investment and economic development in the province.

Supporting investment in the Northern Cape

The Northern Cape’s InvestSA One Stop Shop supports local and international investors who want to explore business opportunities in the province. The initiative forms part of South Africa’s broader efforts to make it easier to establish and operate businesses by helping investors navigate government processes, approvals, licences and permits.

The provincial website provides an online platform where prospective investors can access relevant information about investment support in the Northern Cape and learn more about the services available to them.

Explore the provincial website: https://www.northerncape.gov.za/investsa/

Developed by Hanna Sebolai, Felicia Tlhareseng, Muhammed Davids and Galaletsang Morokonyana, the website supports NCEDA’s work in trade and investment promotion by providing a digital platform through which information about the province’s investment support services can be accessed.

The project shows how software development can go beyond writing code. When digital tools respond to an organisation’s needs, they can help make information more accessible, communicate services clearly and connect people with opportunities.

Professional skills making a difference

The project also highlights what can happen when young people are given opportunities to apply their training in a professional environment.

Jessica Makgetla, Assistant Director for Trade and Investment Promotion at the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, shared positive feedback about the graduates’ work. She highlighted the functionality and professional quality of the platform, describing their work as impeccable.

“The CodeTribe graduates created a functional platform that meets our needs in a professional manner. The quality of their work is impeccable, and we appreciate the contribution they have made to our work.”

Turning digital skills into opportunity

For mLab, this project reflects the purpose of the CodeTribe Software Development programme: equipping young people with practical digital skills they can use to contribute to the economy and build their careers.

It also demonstrates the connection between digital skills development and enterprise development. While graduates gain professional experience and build their portfolios, organisations gain access to digital skills that can help them develop solutions for their operational and communication needs.

Organisations who want digitally skilled talent can express interest here: https://survey.zohopublic.eu/zs/grBxVM, and we will get in touch. 

In the Northern Cape, where investment promotion plays an important role in supporting economic growth, projects like this demonstrate the value of local talent contributing to the province’s digital development.

At mLab, success is not only about the skills young people acquire during training. It is also about the opportunities they access, the experience they gain and the value they create through their work.

The contribution of these four graduates is a reminder that when young people are equipped with the right skills and given opportunities to apply them, they can help build practical digital solutions that serve organisations and support a more digitally enabled economy.