Dti calls for joint ventures in DRC to help balance trade

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Elizabeth Thabethe has implored South African businesspeople to seriously consider investing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and finding companies to parthner in joint ventures in order to contribute to the reconstruction and development of the DRC. She was delivering a keynote address at a business seminar that was held in Kinshasa, attended by about 150 businesspeople from South Africa and the DRC., She added that the two-way trade between South Africa and the DRC stood at R 7.8 billion in 2011 compared to R 6.2 billion in 2010 and R 4.8 billion in 2009. “This demonstrates a steady growth in two-way trade between the two countries, although the trade balance is still skewed in favour of South Africa. The challenge, therefore, is to reduce this imbalance, without necessarily reducing South Africa’s exports to the DRC, but by increasing joint ventures between Congolese and South African businesspeople. However, it should be noted that imports from DRC increased by more than 5% from 2010 to 2011, which is a welcome improvement from R 103 768 million to R 108.242 million,” added Thabethe.