Cape's focus on West Africa paying off

Western Cape exporters are making strides in the West African market, which has been promoted as the “West African Trade Corridor” by the Western Cape Destination Marketing, Investment and Trade Promotion Agency (Wesgro) since 2004. “Promoting intra-African trade is an important and on-going project that is not only conducive to business. It also promotes the strengthening of political ties and stability,” says the agency, which hosts regular meetings of the Western African Business Networking Forum. The forum is aimed at bringing together Western Cape businesses with West African business people operating in the province,” says Wesgro. It hosted a trade mission to Ghana from June 9-12. Bilateral trade between Ghana and South Africa has increased from US$32 million in 2008 to some US$60.9 million. Exports from the Western Cape include fittings and supplies for the large number of hotels being built in the West African region, as well as consolidated cargo from suppliers around the world. “Many Western Cape exporters have demonstrated enthusiasm in taking advantage of business opportunities throughout Africa, while many African buyers are also interested in sourcing products from the Cape. “We have identified the following crucial markets, to focus on in the medium to long term: Angola, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, DRC Congo, and Cote D’Ivoire,” says Wesgro.