South Africa Open for Business

I talked to a lot of people in the USA and South Africa in recent months that marveled in the success of the South African economy. Entrepreneurs, investors, academics, business executives, civil servants and politicians alike are upbeat and excited about the achievements of the South African Nation since the 1994 elections. The result is an economy with tremendous opportunities, but also very significant challenges.

The government publicly acknowledges failure to produce the expected results in critical areas such as health care, housing, education and security. It is against this background that the Inaugural South African Trade & Investment Conference and Exhibition is being planned in Durban, South Africa from October 29 to 31, 2007.


When talking to a South African business colleague recently, she said "I don't want to hear what our problems are anymore, we know what they are. We even know how to solve them. Our real problem is getting realistic plans off the ground that align ideas, sufficient resources and skills in short order to address these problems one-by-one." It sounds like the kind of situation that entrepreneurs revel in. Having lived in South Africa for many decades, I know this may be an over simplification of the true situation, and I also know that quick fixes rarely work in Africa. It takes time and energy to get results, but results are often stunning.

The South African Trade & Investment Conference and Exhibition aims to match international businesses with local (SA) business. One-on-one business matching meetings will run parallel to the conference and exhibition at the International Convention Centre to ensure ease of access for international delegates attending the conference who are keen to meet specific company representatives for detailed discussions. All one-on-one meetings will be pre-booked and pre-scheduled to ensure a smooth flow of the consultations between established business and SMME's/BEE partners. All local companies participating in the sessions will be briefed prior to the meetings giving them advice on how to present their business to potential investors.

A team of investment advisors from the organizers, Trade and Investment Kwa -Zulu Natal will be visiting the Twin Cities on July 24, 2007 for a breakfast briefing - see event schedule for detail. If you are an investor, business person or an academic in the Twin Cities, this is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the opportunities that South Africa provides as a newly emerging market.