Premier Oscar Lubabalo Mabuyane, welcoming delegates to the seventh edition of the Eastern Cape Export Symposium, on Wednesday urged businesses in the Eastern Cape to become more aggressive in their approach of exporting goods.
Over 60 enterprises were given an opportunity to break through to global markets on Wednesday at the two-day fair, hosted by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation at the ICC on KuGompo City’s Esplanade.
The popular event brings together business leaders, exporters, traders large and small, investors and policy makers to meet, network, share updates and adapt to the state of the sector.
Under this year’s theme, Powering Trade Opportunity: Leveraging Infrastructure, Energy and Strategic Partnerships in Changing Global Economy, the symposium has seen over 400 delegates arrive in the city to discuss how best to position the province to access regional and global markets.
Mabuyane said it is imperative for the province to diversify beyond its traditionally automotive-dominated market.
Symposiums like this were perfect opportunities for business leaders to translate potential into actual, discussion into investment and engagements into orders.
“Recent global developments underline that we cannot become overly dependent on any single market,” Mabuyane said.
“Europe, Africa and Asia already account for the overwhelming majority of Eastern Cape exports.
“We must use this foundation to expand much more aggressively into Africa, the Middle East and Asian markets.
“The African Continental Free Trade Area presents a particularly important opportunity.
“Africa must become a much bigger market for goods produced in the Eastern Cape.
“We must also change the nature of what we export.
“The Eastern Cape cannot be satisfied with producing raw materials for other economies to process.
“Where we have agricultural products, natural resources and industrial capacity, we must create opportunities for processing, packaging, manufacturing and beneficiation here at home,” Mabuyane said.
“The African continent is open for business.”
Daily Dispatch
