Big moment for South Africa as GBS and BPO sectors receive international recognition

South Africa has been named Delivery Destination of the Year at the 2026 Global Sourcing Association (GSA) Awards.  The international award was presented in London on 22 September, where the GSA recognised the organisations, individuals and regions setting the standard for excellence, best practice and innovation in strategic sourcing. This is the third win for South Africa – it won Offshoring Destination of the Year in 2012 and 2016.

The recognition comes at the end of a record quarter. Between April and June 2026, the sector created 8,825 new jobs, with nearly half of those roles serving clients in the UK.  

"This award belongs to the people in our sector who show up every day and deliver for clients around the world," said Reshni Singh, CEO of BPESA, the national industry association for South Africa’s Global Business Services (GBS) sector.

"The UK has long been one of our most important partner markets seeing nearly half of this quarter's new jobs serve UK clients tells us that trust keeps growing,” added Singh, who received the award on behalf of the sector.

“Buyers are no longer choosing South Africa for cost alone. They come for our talent, our cultural alignment and our ability to take on complex, high-value work. Our job now is to turn that confidence into more opportunities, especially for young South Africans entering the workforce," Singh added.

About Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPESA)

BPESA (Business Process Enabling South Africa) is the national industry association for South Africa’s Global Business Services (GBS) sector. As a non-profit organisation, it promotes trade, attracts investment, and supports members and stakeholders advancing the sector’s growth and sustainability. In partnership with government, investors, operators, and skills development partners, BPESA positions South Africa as a leading destination for outsourcing and shared services, while driving inclusive job creation and economic growth through advocacy, market intelligence, skills initiatives, and industry events. Website: www.bpesa.org.za

About South Africa’s Global Business Services Sector

Global Business Services (GBS) and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing)  are used interchangeably and refer to the outsourcing of services to a third-party service provider, sometimes located in another country. BPESA focuses on the GBS/BPO international profile with a mandate to attract international investment and create an enabling ecosystem for sector development.  South Africa presents a compelling business case for international operators with compatible time zones, sophisticated infrastructure, a reliable IT environment and access to a large skills pool of entry level to graduate skills. This sector has been recognised since at least 2005 as a priority growth sector because of its ability to attract foreign investment and create jobs.  The industry has set itself an ambitious goal of creating between 350,000 and 500,000 sustainable jobs in South Africa's GBS sector by 2030, building on its global reputation for service excellence, among other attributes.

Issued by Aprio on behalf of BPESA.

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