ISSUED BY: DTI

The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) will lead a delegation of 40 South African mining companies to the DRC Mining Week scheduled to take place in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC from 19 – 21 June 2019. The event is the largest mining and industrial platform in the DRC, bringing together over 3 000 international professionals and local stakeholders from more than 50 countries, aiming to explore and showcase the vast investment opportunities in the mining sector.

According to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ebrahim Patel the department has been promoting global competitiveness of exports through the expansion of markets for South African goods and services to encourage trade and investment activities in the continent

“The DRC as a strategic partner on the continent and we believe that participation in the DRC Mining Week provides us with an ideal platform to expose our local businesspeople in the mining and allied industries to opportunities in the DRC especially within infrastructure which presents opportunities for collaboration and partnerships,’’ says Patel.

Patel adds that South Africa is committed to the implementation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap and increasing partnerships with the DRC in advancing the African Agenda as well as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“We will strengthen existing economic and political relations between South Africa and other African countries and support partnerships and joint ventures between companies,” he says.

South African companies participating at DRC Mining Week are funded by the dti through its Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA) Scheme. One of the objectives of the scheme is to develop export markets for the South African products and services. More than 1 000 companies benefitted from the scheme in the last financial year.