Civil Engineering nOVEMBER 2021 | Vol 29 No 10

32 November 2021 Civil Engineering meet empowerment targets, create employment opportunities and build capacity in core areas. Generally the IDT works in rural areas, especially those characterised by high levels of poverty and unemployment. A key challenge, due to decades of under-development, remains the high levels of poverty, especially amongst women and the youth. The IDT has made a strategic shift to ensure that all development initiatives cater for women and their beneficiaries, and has women organisations as primary target groups. IDT PO Box 73000, Lynnwood Ridge, 0040 T: +27 12 845 2000 E: info@idt.org.za, W: www.idt.org.za Glenwood Office Park, cnr Oberon & Sprite St, Faerie Glen, Pretoria DBSA (Development Bank of Southern Africa) The DBSA is a leading development finance institution working across the African continent. Established in 1983, its purpose is to promote economic and social development, growth and regional integration through infrastructure finance and development. The DBSA plays a catalytic role in delivering infrastructure in the transport, energy, water and ICT sectors, with a secondary focus on health and education. It operates across the infrastructure value chain, offering clients services and capa- bilities in planning, project preparation, financing, implementation, delivery and maintenance. At the core of the DBSA’s mandate is its vision of a prosperous and integrated resource-efficient region, free from poverty and dependency. The Bank’s mission is to advance the development impact in the region by expanding access to development finance, and integrating and implementing sustainable development solutions. This mission will ultimately improve the quality of life through the development of social infrastructure, and supports economic growth through the investment in economic infrastructure. DBSA PO Box 1234, Halfway House, 1685 T: +27 11 313 3911 E: webmaster@dbsa.org , W: www.dbsa.org 1258 Lever Road, Headway Hill, Midrand BEPEC (Built Environment Professions Export Council) BEPEC is a not-for-profit membership- based organisation in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and supports built environment companies to export their professional services into Africa and beyond. BEPEC’s vision is to be the enabling export platform for South African built environment expertise. It also offers a one-stop shop for international clients who are in the market to employ South African built environment professionals. BEPEC membership is currently conditional on membership of one of five supporting bodies or voluntary associations: Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA), Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS), South African Institute of Architects (SAIA), Association of Construction Project Managers (ACPM), and the Institute for Landscape Architecture in South Africa (ILASA). This private sector professional services export council, currently represented by BEPEC, is furthermore in the process of broadening its membership base to also include other built environment disciplines, such as contracting services, town planners, land surveyors, etc. Building towards the same vision, the private sector (export council members) and the public sector (the DTI) are combining their strengths, capabilities and influences to create a new pathway for South Africa Incorporated (SA Inc) moving into the future and into Africa. BEPEC’s main value proposition to its members is to facilitate exposure and access on an on-going basis to relevant and strategic projects and project op- portunities in Africa, as well as to the project funding programmes of the major development finance institutions. In short, joining BEPEC offers its member companies the following: Ease of trading opportunities Q Q Removal of trade barriers such as working requirements, financial regu- lations, logistical problems, etc. Q Q Creating consortia of combined dis- ciplines and expertise for competitive bidding on projects. Q Q Early intelligence reporting of up- coming projects and opportunities in Africa. Q Q Invitations to Show me the Projects workshops to gain strategies on how to attain market access. Q Q Project funding opportunities through Show me the Money workshops. Q Q Sector and project-focused outward selling missions to target markets and countries, and development funding in- stitution project financing programmes. Networking opportunities Q Q Through featured workshops. Q Q International and African associate bodies of CESA, SAIA and ASAQS. Q Q Access to other networks such as groups of African member asso- ciations of consulting engineers, i.e. GAMA and FIDIC. Support while contracting in a foreign country Q Q Members enjoy access to any South African embassy or high commission across the world. Q Q Access to business-facilitating agencies in targeted countries. A voice in government for the private sector Q Q Allowing for collaboration in the pursuit of increased exports. Q Q Platform for discussions on export promotion policy development. BEPEC No 7, First Street, Menlo Park T: +27 12 362 0522 E: con@bepec.co.za or sarah@bepec.co.za W: www.bepec.co.za AfDB (African Development Bank) The African Development Bank is a regional multilateral development bank, engaged in promoting the economic development and social progress of its regional member countries (RMCs), thus contributing to pov- erty reduction. As the continent’s premier development finance institution offering a knowledge and research centre, it is the pre-eminent voice for African development issues. The bank mobilises and allocates resources for investment in RMCs, and pro- vides policy advice and technical assistance to support development efforts. AfDB 339 Witch-Hazel Avenue, Eco Park Estate, Centurion, 0144 T: +27 12 003 6900 E: l.mokadem@afdb.org, W: www.afdb.org