Pretoria - The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has called on South African business to invest in its Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
This, as a delegation of South African companies is participating in the 7th Investment and Trade Initiative (ITI) which is organised by the Department of Trade and Industry (dti).
The ITI is one of the South African government’s initiatives to increase trade between the two countries.
Speaking during the delegation’s site visit to the Maluku SEZ, coordinator of the SEZ, Auguy Bolanda, said that the DRC is prioritising these zones to attract more foreign direct investment and that five SEZs were being prioritised for establishment.
These, he said, will be governed by the laws that are in the process of being adopted in Parliament.
“Regulating the SEZs will provide a favourable business environment for national and international investors. The Maluku SEZ was established in 2012 and is spread over 244 hectors of land,” said Bolanda.
He added that the SEZ had the potential to house many sectors because it was in the proximity of a market of approximately 10 million people.
He also said that the SEZ was situated on the Congo River which allows access to a vast interior of the country and has potential for the development into an agri-business hub for central Africa.
Bolanda urged South African companies who are interested in investing in the Maluku SEZ to forward their proposals to the Ministry of Industry for consideration.
He said that the current sub-station also situated in the SEZ is operating with only one transformer instead of three, which makes the output to be insufficient for its optimal operation. This presented a number of opportunities for South African businesses in the energy sector, especially those who are in the transmission business.
The delegation also visited a water purification plant which provides water to 3000 households and produces 400-500 million litres daily.
The Managing Director of Deltron Consulting (Pty) Ltd, Muzi Mkhize, said the plant presented a lot of opportunities for South African businesses as it is in an urgent need for expansion.
“The plant was initially designed for a thousand households, now the community has increased to almost 5000 households and as such there is a challenge on keeping up with the current demand, to an extent that they have been forced to supply water at scheduled intervals between the various locations,” said Mkhize.
Mkhize highlighted that the need for expansion presented a huge opportunity in order for the plant to meet up with the current demand and catering for the future as well.
Mkhize said his company, which renders engineering, procurement, project management and construction management services, is ready and geared up to invest its services and to also look at possible partnerships with relevant local companies in executing the project.
The ITI, which kicked off on Monday, will conclude on Saturday. - SAnews.gov.za
