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The first Progressive Business Forum (PBF) international trade delegation
of 2013 has concluded a highly successful visit to Kenya this week. The
strong delegation consisting of nearly 60 South African business persons
representing nearly 50 South African companies was led by the South African
Deputy Minister of Trade, Elizabeth Thabethe, and the Co-Convenor of the
ANC PBF, Renier Schoeman.

The delegation was welcomed in Kenya by the Permanent Secretary of the
Ministry of Trade, Abdul Razak Adan Ali, at a PBF function attended by
senior Kenyan government officials and business leaders.

The anchor event of the visit was a business seminar co-hosted by the PBF
and the Kenyan National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and also attended
by Permanent Secretary Ali, Deputy Minister of Trade of Kenya, Manson
Nyamweya, and Secretary of External Trade, Simon Chacha Nyang. The Kenyan
business leadership was represented by Stephen Mbugua, National Chair of
the Chamber, and James Mureu, Chair of the Mombasa branch.

In her keynote speech, Deputy Minister Thabethe, inter alia, said “Today
is important because opportunities are created for business-to-business
engagement to explore our respective markets. I strongly commend the South
African and Kenyan sides for taking this initiative and must state that
like Kenya, South Africa is open for business!”

She went on to say “Opportunities abound in Africa and South African
companies enjoy potentially winning comparative advantages derived of
domestic experience and relatively shorter channels to market. Whereas as
South African companies are sector leaders in mining, mobile phone, retail,
beverage and tourism sectors, the following areas of growth are ripe:

• Energy (gas, petroleum and renewables, solar, wind and hydro).
• Health care (private hospitals and management)
• Financial services (particularly cost-effective first-time banking, micro finance and personal insurance)
• Agro-processing
• Training and capacity building (mining, engineering, retail, hospitality sector, financial services, media and advertising)

Importantly, the establishment of mutually beneficial partnerships with
local entities is central to success. Irrespective of size, scale or
sector, success in doing business in Africa is founded on working with
local partners of integrity who share the same values and vision for a
better Africa for all.

Within the region, Kenya is the economic linchpin and has the the
potential to drive economic development. Because of its strategic location,
its relatively developed infrastructure, educated working class and large
middle class, Kenya has the ability to serve as either the locomotive of
development or of the region and further afield.

Kenya is an important and strategic country for South Africa particularly
for its geo-political position in the East Africa region; its economic size
and importance for trade with South Africa.

The presence of our biggest-ever delegation in Kenya, and of the
impressive Kenyan business presence here today, bears witness to the fact
that we are all strongly in favour of collective efforts to do business in
Kenya – we are proud to have been a part of today’s efforts and starting
that process, and you may all be sure, we are here for the long haul.”

On the Kenyan side all speakers welcomed the timing and size of the
delegation and committed themselves to continuing efforts to strengthen
economic links between South Africa and Kenya.

Renier Schoeman, conveyed a message from the ANC Treasurer General, Dr.
Zweli Mkhize, in which he said that the visit would not only add to
economic links but also reconfirm the historically warm and friendly
relations with Kenya as a highly strategic African country which has
emerged as one of the leading centres for international trade in East
Africa.

In his own speech, Schoeman said that the PBF had deliberately chosen
Kenya as the very first global destination of 2013, emphasizing the PBF’s
commitment to Africa as trade and investment destination. He said the visit
was also intended to lift the profile of economic links between the two
countries and announced that it had been agreed in principle that a
reciprocal Kenyan business delegation would visit South Africa in 2013 at
the invitation of the PBF which would host such a visit.

After the formal seminar, interactive business-to-business meetings
between the South African delegates and more than 100 Kenyan attendees took
place. After formal presentations on business opportunities in Kenya, an
evening dinner was hosted for the delegation at the world famous Carnivore
Restaurant outside Nairobi by the CEO of Keninvest, Julius Rotich.

Before flying to Mombasa, the group visited the Special Economic Zone, led
by Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe.

In Mombasa the group will hold a business breakfast with the Mombasa
branch of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and will also
hold business-to-business meetings led by the Chamber Chair, James Mureu,
before returning to South Africa.