Pretoria - South Africa should not be seen as a gatekeeper to the African continent but rather as a gateway to the continent, says the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) Deputy Director-General, Pumla Ncapayi.
“I think we must emphasise the point that South Africa is not a gatekeeper to the African continent. It is a gateway because of the services that it offers, such as infrastructure as well as financial services that can be considered when establishing a presence in the African continent,” said Ncapayi.
Speaking at the final day of the pre-Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) Investment Seminars held in Japan, Ncapayi invited Japanese companies to invest in South Africa.
The dti, in partnership with the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi United Financial of Japan (UFJ), was hosting the seminars, which began on Tuesday.
South Africans pride themselves in being part of the next big story after the largest economies in the world, Ncapayi said, adding that South Africa was not a part of Brics because of the size of its population.
“We do acknowledge and take cognisance of the fact that we are not in Brics because of our population, but by virtue of what we can offer, the meaningful discussions and participation that we can accord to the world economy, as well as amongst Brics countries,” said Ncapayi.
Senior Managing Executive Officer at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Muneo Kurauchi, described South Africa as a perfect partner for access into the African continent.
Ryo Sasaki, the chairperson of SUN ACE Corporation, which has been operating in South Africa for 17 years, assured Japanese companies that South Africa was a sound investment destination.
“Our move to South Africa was a good move, as it has given us access to the sub-Sahara market,” said Sasaki.
“SUN ACE is one of the 108 Japanese companies that are doing business in South Africa and as a collective they employ just over 150 000 people,” he said.
SUN ACE is a manufacturer of specialty chemicals.
The three investment seminars were aimed at increasing Foreign Direct Investment from Japan to South Africa by creating awareness of opportunities in South Africa and conveying critical aspects of SA's business climate.
The seminars have already delivered results, with delegates commenting on the fact that they “cleared up a number of negative perceptions they had about the country”.
The seminars are part of the implementation plan envisaged by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the dti and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, MUFG in February 2013. - SAnews.gov.za
