A total of 36 000 jobs were created during the 2004/5 financial year through the Development Bank of Southern Africa’s investment projects, the bank said on Tuesday.
The new number of jobs created through funded projects was a 45% increase against the same reporting period in the last year, DBSA managing director Mandla Gantsho said.
”Our major strength has been a combination of our healthy financial resources with considerable knowledge and skills, to find new and innovative solutions to the challenges of development facing both South Africa and the African continent,” he said when releasing the bank’s 2004/5 annual report.
”Contribution to the GDP of South Africa was up to R6,9-billion from R4,3-billion last year.”
Gantsho also announced that about 1,9-million households would benefit from the DBSA’s investments through access to new and improved basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity.
”This represents an increase of over 300% over the previous year, as a direct result of the strategic shift in the bank’s delivery at local government level.
”To this end, the bank’s development fund, established in 2001 to support capacity building at local government level, increased its grants by 11% to R170-million in 2004/5.”
Investment approvals topped R3,94-billion, up an impressive 17,6% from last year, while disbursements increased seven percent to R3-billion, the annual report read.
The DBSA is wholly owned by the South African government with a mandate to fund infrastructure, providing financial and technical assistance, and to act as catalyst to maximise private sector involvement. – Sapa