140 UK, KwaZulu-Natal companies to participate in online trade mission

8th September 2020 By: Yvonne Silaule - Contributor

About 140 companies from the UK and KwaZulu-Natal will be participating in a virtual online trade mission, which will be led by Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

“Following the onset of Covid-19 and the limitations on international travel, the department has embarked on an online strategy to engage international stakeholders to ensure continued engagement by business and to showcase opportunities in KwaZulu-Natal to international partners,” says Dube-Ncube.

She notes that the mission is inviting UK companies to partner with KwaZulu-Natal entrepreneurs to drive socioeconomic benefits.

“As KwaZulu-Natal, we have identified infrastructure development as key in job creation and the UK is one of South Africa’s and the province's biggest global trade partners and a source of foreign direct investment,” Dube-Ncube notes.

According to the MEC, the provincial infrastructure development programme involves road construction and repair, air-freight, rail, the provision of water and sanitation and human settlements.

“For this to happen, we are encouraging partnerships between public and private stakeholders to maximise investments in order to grow the economy. 

“Our Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) entity, working with the UK Department of International Trade, existing partners such as the North East of England and Business Durham as well as the Midlands Engine and Government of Wales have embarked on a plan to undertake a series of six inward and outward trade missions,” the MEC points out.

TIKZN will undertake a series of six online trade missions with different regions from the UK between September and March 2021.

Dube-Ncube says at least ten multisectoral companies will participate in each mission, as will representatives from the stakeholder partners and companies that have successfully engaged in cross-border business between the regions.