PRETORIA, March 26 (ANA) – South African business people who participated in a week-long trade and investment mission to Ghana and Nigeria have expressed satisfaction with the mission and are optimistic of tangible results in the near future, the trade and industry department (dti) said on Sunday.
The trade mission from March 20 to 25 was organised by the dti, and one of the businesswomen who went along was Olivia Fuka of GET Mining services, the department said in a statement.
Fuka expressed satisfaction about both legs of the mission. She had successful meetings with big, credible companies from both Ghana and Nigeria. She believed there was a market for her company’s products in both countries and setting up a plant in West Africa was in their future plans.
Fuka said the Nigerian market was massive, and the meetings she had through her participation in the mission would unquestionably yield positive results when the company “seals the leads” that emanated from the mission. The company was determined to take full advantage of opportunities identified in the huge Nigerian market, she said.
Marketing manager of Tarch Chemicals – distributors of cosmetics, food, and pharmaceutical ingredients – Getrude Makamure said Ghana was the highlight of the mission.
“As a company we have been trying to enter the West African market with no success. I got to meet a potential client that I have been trying to contact on my own with no success. The client is a big player in the market in Ghana and have showed huge interest in working with us. We will be making follow-ups in making sure that the deal is signed and sealed,” Makamure said.
Vaughn Duke of Sound Mining Solutions said the mission was a success as it provided the companies involved an opportunity to meet their potential partners. He was happy that he made good contacts that he would follow up and conclude the deals.
Abkom Engineering’s Barend Steyn said they participated in the mission to further penetrate the West African market and had since met a big player in the industry whom they had been trying to meet for some time.
Director of export promotions at the dti Seema Sardha said she was pleased with the overwhelming response received during the business forum, business-to-business meetings, and site visits in both Ghana and Nigeria. This demonstrated the enthusiasm from both sides towards building partnerships and value chains across Africa.
“We came here with an objective to promote South African products and service offerings, and to create business partnerships between business communities of the respective countries and we have done exactly that. Going forward, companies need to take the necessary steps and follow up on the leads they accrued in making sure they translate them into economic benefits,” Sardha said.
Sectors targeted during the mission included agro-processing, electro-technical, infrastructure, mining, services, and capital equipment.
– African News Agency (ANA)
