Gauteng is positioning itself as a manufacturing hub and gateway into Africa as part of its plan to grow intra-African trade.According to the provincial MEC for economic development, Parks Tau, the province is ideally suited to act as an economic hub on the continent with already well-established links into southern Africa.“Gauteng is home to the headquarters of the majority of multinational companies with regional and continental presence. The bulk of corporates are headquartered here and it is home to the stock exchange. The economic location and strategic importance of the province are pretty well known – and we are very cognisant of this,” he said during an online conference. “It plays a pivotal role in the economic development of the country, but it is also a gateway into Africa.”Tau said the infrastructure and logistics capability of the province made it ideal to function as a trade hub, while the two Special Economic Zones (SEZs) were proving their worth and showcasing the province’s capabilities.“Gauteng’s ability to trade and facilitate investments through the location of the stock exchange and other interventions we have put in place has ensured that it has become the perfect platform from which to gain access to Africa.”He said discussions were under way with several governments on the continent on how to take best advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to increase trade. “We have reached out to various partners on the continent to open discussion on how we can leverage on the AfCFTA in particular. We believe that local governments have an important strategic role to play in these agreements thanks to their ability to invest in infrastructure and the other capabilities required to facilitate economic development. As a province, we are partnering on a public and private level to make this happen.”Speaking during the same event, Mosa Tshabalala, group chief executive officer, Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), said over the last six years the Gauteng region had exported goods and services to the African region to the value of R6 trillion. “62% of all exports from South Africa to the rest of the continent are manufactured in Gauteng,” she said.Tshabalala added that the GGDA was increasing its efforts to identify and facilitate trade between Gauteng and African countries.“Africa is our second-largest trade destination outside of Asia. We have to look at the potential and growth it offers, not only to increase the export of goods out of Gauteng but also services. We have a highly skilled population in the province and a knowledge economy exporting the skills from the province into Africa.”More recently, it had engaged with Ghana to explore opportunities to partner on the growing cocoa trade in the West African country.“The expanding cocoa industry in Ghana is a good example of collaboration. It has created 800 000 jobs for farmers in that country and makes up 21% of the cocoa market share of West Africa. It exports 10% of its chocolate to Gauteng, and this is expected to grow,” said Tshabalala.The GGDA is facilitating the collaboration between Ghanaian cocoa manufacturers and South African companies that are at the end of the processing chain.“If we can import more cocoa beans and add value in Gauteng, we can increase exports of the finished product to the rest of the world. As such we are ring-fencing the entire value chain on the continent.”