W Cape gets its export ducks in a row

The Western Cape government has identified five African countries as the focus of its export growth strategy. Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Angola and Mozambique will be targeted through a fourtier strategy designed to grow exports to these markets in the oil and gas, fruit, wine as well as engineering and construction sectors. According to Nigel Gwynne- Evans, acting director of trade and development for the Western Cape Government, the decision to focus on specific markets and sectors has seen some criticism but by targeting certain countries and sectors a much more focused approach can be taken. “There are just not enough resources to market the province across Africa. After much discussion the five countries were decided on for a variety of reasons including the growth opportunities and what we as a region can offer to them.” He said a key priority for the Western Cape government at present was to promote exports, as this was a driver of economic development. “South Africa at present only represents some 3% of Africa’s imports so there is clearly a lot of opportunity for us to grow our export market into Africa,” said Gwynne-Evans. “One of the major criticisms we have been getting is that far too often when we target export growth, we don’t play as Team South Africa. If one looks at the Chinese and the Brazilians for instance, in comparison South Africans do not have a coordinated, strategised approach.” It was to this end that the four-tier strategy – a coordinated Africa strategy framework – was developed. “In the first level of this strategy we are increasing awareness, profiling and unlocking constraints around the markets we want to enter while we are also empowering exporters with information on how to do business in Africa.” Gwynne- Evans said in the first level of the strategy a lot of work was also being done to brand the Western Cape in the countries it had identified. The second tier of the strategy focuses on building the networks and raising the necessary funds, while the third tier is aimed at countryspecific strategies. “We cannot be everything to everyone so making sure we plan for specific countries and specific sectors is crucial to the success of the strategy,” he said. “The fourth tier is aimed at identifying high-value project opportunities for the long term to ensure we create sustainability.” He said the government was in the process of finalising the draft framework for the strategy while they were also obtaining inputs and buyin from key stakeholders. “At the same time we have started lobbying for resources to ensure this strategy can be realised sooner rather than later.” INSERT & CAPTION Far too often when we target export growth, we don’t play as Team South Africa. – Nigel Gwynne-Evans