Their participation in the fair, which takes place from August 29 to September 4, has been made possible by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The department’s export marketing and investment assistance scheme aims to develop export markets for South African products and services and to recruit new foreign direct investment into the country.

South African Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, said participation in Facim would expose the South African companies to trade and investment opportunities in Mozambique as well as other countries participating in the exhibition. Last year the trade fair attracted 680 foreign companies from countries including Zimbabwe, Germany, Brazil, Macau, Indonesia, Poland, Qatar and Sweden.

”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 (SADC) region and the rest of Africa,” Davies said.

He added that one of the DTI’s strategic goals was to expand the South African manufacturing sector in order to promote industrial development, job creation, investment and export.

“In order to achieve this objective, the department embarks on international missions and participates in targeted international trade exhibitions in order to promote exports of South African value-added goods and services to increase market share in markets in various regions of the world,” Davies added.

Mozambique is one of South Africa’s top five trade partners in the SADC region. Trade between the two countries totalled more than R39 billion in 2015.

ANA