Luanda - Small enterprises and businesses owned by women are among the 24 South African companies introducing their products to tens of thousands of potential buyers at Feira Internacional de Angola (Filda), which opened in Luanda on Tuesday.
As part of its export marketing and investment assistance (EMIA) scheme, South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) hosts a national pavilion at the big international trade fair in Angola.
The department assists companies with potential who might otherwise not be able to attend the fair, which last year saw more than 800 companies from 40 countries participating in an exhibition that was visited by in excess of 50 000 people.
The objective of the EMIA scheme is to develop export markets for South African products and services and to recruit new foreign direct investment into the country.
The DTI said the South African companies represented at this year’s fair include small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), emerging exporters, women-owned enterprises and large companies drawn from sectors including construction, oil and gas, mining, information and communication technology and boat-building.
The deputy minister of trade and industry, Mzwandile Masina, said Filda, which runs from July 21 to 26, would expose South African companies to trade and investment opportunities available in Angola and other countries participating in the annual multi-sectoral exhibition.
“The DTI is striving to facilitate economic development through promoting outward investment, intra-Africa trade, regional industrialisation and infrastructure development within the Southern African Development Community region and the rest of Africa,” Masina said.
Trade between South Africa and Angola stood at more than R33 billion last year, with a R10 billion trade deficit incurred by South Africa.
The DTI said South African exports to Angola comprised mainly of electro-technical machinery and mechanical appliances, prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits and vinegar, chemical products, mechanical equipment for vehicles and aircraft, and vegetables.
The composition of Angolan imports into South Africa has primarily been petroleum oils, bituminous minerals and crude oil.
ANA