MTN Business has called for a creation of a South African Silicon Valley in the Gauteng province.

Mariana Kruger, General Manager of Products and Services at MTN Business, told delegates at the recent Gauteng Provincial Government Technology Innovation Conference that more needs to be done to connect and amplify milestones that the provincial government, the private sector, and universities have done to build a digital city in Johannesburg, South Africa's biggest city and capital of Gauteng.

Kruger says in comparison to the rest of Africa, SA is moving fast but still needs to catch-up with the likes of Kenya, "Kenya has made huge strides in supporting innovation and tax safe havens to secure growth."

Kruger said the accomplishments that both the public and private sector have achieved could be used as the building blocks for a Gauteng Silicon Valley, "The building blocks are there, the key element that is missing is pulling all of this together and leveraging it to build a technology hub that will incubate innovation and stimulate the development and growth of technology start-ups."

The SA-based company says government, universities and the private sector in the province should harness the gains that have been made by both the public and private sector to build the mobile ecosystem and facilitate access to mobile broadband connectivity.

"The private sector is doing a lot of great things in siloes. The starting point is to break these siloes, identify key challenges that all parties can collectively work towards addressing, and unlock the potential that is inherent in this vibrant city," said Kruger.

MTN Business added that Cape Town is already widely regarded as the hub of innovation, and an incubator that has spawned the birth and development of tech companies. "The city's tech ecosystem is almost two decades old and is one of the most established in Africa."

According to the Ventureburn Startup Survey 2015, the city accounts for 60% of the country's tech start-ups.