The two consultative workshops on the country's national export strategy hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) in East London and Port Elizabeth on Wednesday and Thursday this week demonstrated the enthusiasm of business people to contribute to the strategy with a view to growing the economy and creating employment by increasing exports.
This was said by the Chief Director of Export Promotion at the dti, Ms Hilda Moja at the end of the Port Elizabeth leg of the workshops which was attended by exporters in both cities as well as agencies and service providers involved in trade promotion.
"The dti has embarked on a roadshow to consult exporters and stakeholders in the export value chain in all the provinces so that the National Export Strategy reflects what businesspeople, particularly exporters, in the country want to see happening in order to increase the country’s exports," said Moja.
The participants engaged in robust discussions on challenges faced by exporters and proposed solutions to increase exports. Business people in both cities raised common issues related to access to export markets, national pavilions, trade missions, infrastructure, access to finance particularly for small businesses and manufacturing competitiveness and recommended that these should be addressed by the export strategy in order to remove impediments constricting businesses people from growing their exports.
Inputs from the Eastern Cape exporters and stakeholders will be incorporated into the National Export Strategy, which seeks to enhance the country’s export performance.
Moja also explained that the strategy would assist the dti to fulfil its mandate of growing the country's export base by increasing the number of exporters and of assisting companies to increase exports of locally manufactured products and services.
She also added that the department was working towards finalising the strategy during the 2013/14 financial year. The provincial workshops will culminate in a national workshop in Gauteng in March 2013.
Enquiries:
Bongani Lukhele, Acting Chief Director: Media Liaison
Cell: 079 5083 457
Tel: 012 394 1643
E-mail: Blukhele@thedti.gov.za
Follow us on Twitter: @the_dti
