South Africa holds the largest untapped export potential on the African continent, with the potential to inject $75 billion (R1.3 trillion) into annual exports over the next five years.
This figure far exceeds the combined opportunities of Egypt, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the latest Where to Invest in Africa report by Rand Merchant Bank (RMB).
According to Business Day, the report’s annual benchmark, produced in partnership with the Gordon Institute of Business Science, spotlights SA's export edge as a critical driver of the government's logistics reforms.
These span rail, airfreight and ports, aiming to end a decade of underinvestment that has led to inefficiencies and inflated costs of doing business across the supply chain.
The RMB analysis, covering 31 African countries that account for 90% of the continent's GDP, deploys a sophisticated model, factoring in a nation's supply capacity, global demand forecasts and barriers to market entry.
"Given the current export capacity, global import demand and market access conditions, SA has the potential to add $75bn to its total annual exports in 2029, based on this model," the report states.
Of this sum, $7.3bn (R126bn) targets the US, the world's top economy, although geopolitical headwinds from Washington could complicate Pretoria's ambitions.
The remaining $67.7bn lies beyond the US, offering a gateway to diversify markets and create jobs in processing, manufacturing and logistics hubs.
