The South African Department of Trade and Industry (dti) is leading a black industrialists business delegation to Mozambique on a mission to identify and explore trade and investment opportunities from March 4 to 10.

Also in the delegation are representatives of the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Central Energy Fund, Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa, provincial developmental funding institutions, and members of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Advisory Council, the dti said in a statement.

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said the mission was intended to address the “second pillar of the black industrialist policy, which speaks to access to markets, both local and continentally”.

“Mozambique forms part of the top five South African partners on the continent and has since addressed a series of macro-economic reforms designed to stabilise its economy. These reforms, along with its political stability since multi-party elections of 1994, have led to dramatic improvements in its growth rate. It is of the utmost importance that we intensify the strength of our relations, especially in the area of economic co-operation and investment,” Davies said.

The trade mission to Mozambique was one of several missions the dti had invested in to ensure that black industrialist participated in intra-Africa trade opportunities, while also forging networks and partnerships with relevant businesses and industry associations within the market.

The delegation would participate in a bilateral business forum with the Confederation of Associations of Mozambique (CTA), and also take part in business-to-business networking sessions, as well as site visits with government departments and industry associations. The visit would focus on the agro-processing, energy, and economic infrastructure sectors, the dti said.

-African News Agency