Trade incentives would ramp up interest in west africa.

SA needs to introduce trade incentives and increase awareness of the investment opportunities in Africa, according to Jason Stramrood, trade manager for Safmarine’s SA-West Africa multipurpose vessel (MPV) services. It will go a long way to growing our trade with the rest of the continent, he said, adding that he doesn’t understand why Africa does not feature as prominently as the likes of India and Pakistan in the investment plans of SA entrepreneurs. “SA companies applying for investment capital appear more likely to cite India, Pakistan and Europe as their prospective markets than countries in Africa,” Stramrood told FTW. “We have also noted that companies in Europe, the Far East, the Middle East and the Americas are far more active in Africa, particularly West Africa, than are SA companies.” Commenting on the project cargo market, he said SA companies appeared, in general, disinterested in West Africa, even though the local industry has the technology, the infrastructure and the connections it needs to maximise the opportunities available. “Even though this country enjoys the shortest transit times into West Africa, the majority of project cargo is currently sourced from other countries.”