Our Business Units

The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), as the provincial economic development agency, is positioned to facilitate and support private sector development in the Eastern Cape. ECDC has recently been restructured to increase operational efficiency, ensure sustainability and enhance impact as a development agency. ECDC now operates through four regional offices and has seven targeted business units, which deliver on the corporation's mandate:

Development Finance

Are you a small to medium enterprise that requires access to finance? Do you seek more progressive methods of risk evaluation? Yes? Then you are the person we are looking for. You don't have to be a business based in the Eastern Cape to qualify for any of our products. As long as your business headquarters are in the province, or you can prove that the major developmental impact will be felt in the province, we will consider your application. Business finance also understands the historical lack of access of small to medium enterprises to finance, hence we have moved away from collateral lending, and we now use adequate management capacity and business viability as a key criteria. Through our short-term and long-term product offering, we have set ourselves apart as the financial service provider of choice for initiatives that bring a meaningful development impact to the Eastern Cape economy. We facilitate financial viability and sustainability of these initiatives through the provision of financial resources at highly competitive rates. We want to be your lender of choice. Read More...

Investment Promotion

The ECDC Investment Promotion Programme, located in East London, invites you, our potential local or foreign medium to large investor, to take advantage of the Eastern Cape's compelling proposition when you make your next investment. The programme has assisted many investors with identifying and accessing business opportunities within the key sectors of the provincial economy. These investors have leveraged excellent returns on their investments and are enjoying the benefits of investing in a province characterized by positive economic growth.Read More...

Trade Promotion

The ECDC Trade Promotion Unit located in Port Elizabeth and East London invites export-ready small to medium sized Eastern Cape exporters, particularly previously disadvantaged individuals, to access the opportunities provided by offshore markets. The unit has assisted various businesses access global markets, throughout the province, which have now built profitable and sustainable relationships with their foreign trade partners. The unit aims to ensure growth in the value of exports and providing access to foreign markets for Eastern Cape products. You can live the export experience by joining the unit in its annual trade missions to network with prospective clients to foreign countries. Read More...

Enterprise Development Services

If your business needs skills development support, business advice, information technology support, product and market development and business linkages, keep reading. The Enterprise Development Programme invites small to medium enterprises to access these business support services provided by its highly qualified staff. Although these services are non-financial in nature, they are often sector and demand-led and necessary in order to be successful in your chosen sector. The programme is committed to providing you with knowledge and expertise in business development delivered by using sophisticated solutions and best practice. The programme aims to assist emerging businesses access business development services through a network of accredited service providers. We invite you to enlist for one of our broad range of services, specially catered for your business's needs, and notice improvements in the quality of your product and service offering. Read More...

Project Development

The unit has helped businesses establish pilot projects that are of a strategic nature, are sustainable and which will serve to generate economic activity. The unit recognises that business ideas need to be nurtured in order to become viable. We provide advice on how to go about establishing projects and consider funding various business-related studies in the form of business plans, feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments. Projects will benefit from the unit's willingness to explore entrepreneurial ideas, take calculated risks on new ideas, to conduct investigations and in-house professional services. Read More...

Property Management and Development

If you are a small, medium, micro enterprise or a labour intensive company in search of suitable industrial and commercial premises, look no further. ECDC's Property Management Unit offers your small to medium enterprise suitable premises at affordable rates through its diverse and substantial property portfolio.  Over the years, the unit has provided business premises to the general public, business people and government departments who want to initiate projects. The unit has also been instrumental in providing warehousing and manufacturing space to small businesses. Read More...

Spatial and Rural Projects Unit

Interested in unlocking investment opportunities in the Eastern Cape's rural areas? Are you interested in the development and the economic growth of the former Ciskei and Transkei? The Rural and Spatial Programmes Unit assists initiatives or projects that focus on strategic economic development clusters in the province. Our objective is to unlock the investment opportunities in the former Transkei and Ciskei, fast-track government decision making, provide planning advice to municipalities and provincial government departments, project scoping and planning, facilitate active participation of communities, and co-ordinate development efforts in those areas. Read More...