SA COMPANIES ARRIVE IN MOZAMBIQUE TO DRIVE DIVERSIFICATION STRATEGY FORWARD

SA COMPANIES ARRIVE IN MOZAMBIQUE TO DRIVE DIVERSIFICATION STRATEGY FORWARD

By BRIAN KAJENGO

A delegation of twenty-nine (29) export-ready companies supported by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) has arrived in Maputo on a mission to showcase their products and services at the 50^th Jubilee of the Feira International de Maputo (FACIM) Fair.

The fair takes place from on Monday to 31 August 2014 in Maputo, Mozambique.

the dti’s Economic Counsellor in Mozambique, Mr Matome Kgowedi said the aim of showcasing South African products and services at FACIM was to tap into the growing Mozambican market in extractive, transport and communication industries where South African companies have the capability to supply services and capital equipment.

“Mozambique is one of South Africa’s Top-5 trading partners in Africa and we want to expand our market share to enable our companies to compete with other countries that have since made substantial inroads into the country,” said Kgowedi.

He added that Mozambique presents good opportunities for investment in agriculture, agro-processing, energy, tourism, and the construction sector.

According to Kgowedi, Mozambique falls in line with the strategic objective of increasing levels of South Africa’s export capacity in the African market.

The purpose of FACIM is to promote commercial activities, to stimulate production and consumption, and enhance the economic integration of Mozambique in the world economy.

The Director responsible for Export Promotion at the dti, Dr Julius Nyalunga said Mozambique was one of South Africa’s most important strategic countries in relation to the Trade and Investment South Africa’s (TISA) diversification strategy on Africa.

“It is one of the countries that we are targeting with the understanding that it is amongst the ten fastest growing economies in the world, and that it has signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with South Africa that seek to strengthen trade relations,” said Dr Nyalunga.

He added that the key issue was to increase the market share of South African companies in Mozambique.

“We also intend to increase South African outward investment into Mozambique, but it is interesting for us to understand that if we are not going to aggressively participate in Mozambique there is going to be a challenge because role-players from the world over are here and they are trying to get a foot-hold into Mozambique’s market. We are happy to say that we have all the support from the South African High Commission and with the eagerness displayed by our companies that are going to participate in FACIM and we are hoping to improve on the results that we achieved last year,” he said.

Caption: The 29 Emerging exporters in Maputo to exhibit products and services at the 50th Feira International de Maputo Fair.