By Johnathan Paoli
Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition John Steenhuisen has welcomed the opening of business process management company Atain’s new flagship global business service (GBS) centre in Cape Town as a major vote of confidence in South Africa and its potential to become an increasingly important player in the global business services sector.
Speaking during the ribbon cutting on Friday, Steenhuisen welcomed the expansion of Atain’s workforce to about 2,150 employees, backed by a R70 million investment in the latest phase of growth, bringing the company’s total investment in the country to R702 million.
“Atain’s investment is what sustained investor confidence looks like. It is a clear endorsement of South Africa as a destination of choice for global business services, and we welcome it wholeheartedly,” he said.
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Atain specialises in artificial intelligence-driven services and digital technology platforms, and has rapidly expanded its presence in South Africa since launching with just 50 employees in 2022.
Steenhuisen said the company’s growth represented more than the expansion of a single business, arguing that it demonstrated the potential of the GBS industry to create employment, develop skills and provide opportunities for young South Africans.
“This is a proud moment not only for Atain, but for South Africa’s Global Business Services sector, for the City of Cape Town, and for the thousands of South Africans whose careers and livelihoods are being built,” Steenhuisen said.
According to Atain Chief Human Resources Officer Amir Bharwani, the opening of the new facility marked another milestone in the company’s global expansion strategy, with South Africa occupying an increasingly important position in its operations.
“South Africa is a strategic hub for Atain and an important part of our global growth story. We have built a strong presence in Cape Town on the strength of exceptional local talent, and we are committed to scaling our investment further. Our focus is to create meaningful careers, build future-ready skills, and deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients globally,” Bharwani said.
Steenhuisen said Atain’s investment was particularly significant because it combined business growth with skills development and employment opportunities for young people.
The company’s Atain Academy focuses on impact sourcing and recruits young people from disadvantaged communities, with more than 350 learners already having received training through the programme.
The company also provides employees with quality benefits including incentive schemes, medical cover, funeral benefits and door-to-door transport.
Steenhuisen said such initiatives demonstrated the importance of placing people at the centre of economic growth.
The deputy minister said South Africa was well positioned to take advantage of growing global demand for outsourced and digitally enabled business services, including through call centres and back end business support, despite rapid technological changes driven by artificial intelligence and automation.
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South Africa’s time zone, multilingual population, skilled workforce and established GBS ecosystem provided significant advantages, he said.
“Cape Town remains the heart of the GBS sector, but there are huge opportunities for greater expansion across the rest of the country, particularly into provinces where there are deep pools of untapped talent that can be leveraged to grow businesses within the sector,” Steenhuisen said.
He said the government would continue working with investors to identify and remove obstacles preventing the sector from expanding.
“We are here to listen and to use our position within government to co-ordinate other relevant departments, to understand the obstacles and barriers, and to work together to move them out of the way so that we can open up a superhighway of growth, development and opportunity,” Steenhuisen said.
He also credited InvestSA and the South African High Commission in India for helping secure Atain’s investment through sustained engagement with the company.
“InvestSA, working in close partnership with the South African High Commission, India, actively pursued and secured this investment through sustained investment promotion engagements with Atain,” Steenhuisen said.
Steenhuisen said the government remained committed to supporting the sector as companies increasingly adopted business models combining artificial intelligence with human expertise.
