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The South African High Commissioner to Mozambique, Mr Mandisi Mpahlwa says he is pleased with the diverse range of South African goods and services that are on show at the 54th Feira International de Maputo (FACIM) trade fair that officially opened in Maputo, Mozambique today. Mpahlwa said this after conducting a state of readiness inspection of the South African Pavilion.

“We have just witnessed the official day of the opening characterised among other things by a visit to the South African Pavilion by the Mozambican Prime Minister, Mr Carlos Agostinho do Rosario.  I have also as the South African Commissioner taken the first full tour of the South African Pavilion and I have to say that I have been quiet pleased with the range of goods and services and the range of companies that we have exhibiting this year,” said Mpahlwa.

Mpahlwa said that what was most pleasing about the South African Pavilion, was the fact that companies that were showcasing demonstrated how fast South Africa was moving into the higher value added end of manufacturing.

“This gives us quiet an edge in terms of the kind of products that we can avail to this particular market. We remain quiet convinced that Mozambique has great opportunities for South African companies. It is a country that is experiencing a rise in opportunities that have developed that are going to lead to many investments in infrastructure, energy, development of the gas fields and mega projects that open up a lot of scope for South African companies to provide goods and services that are needed,” he said.

Mpahlwa further encouraged more South African companies to explore possibilities of entering the Mozambican market as it is a natural market which is highly contested.
 
The Director of Fred Footwear, Mr Rolland Eboru who is exhibiting at FACIM in the South African Pavilion reports that he has since been approached by a local school with the intention of purchasing his range of school shoes.
 
“The school representative visited my stand and was extremely impressed with my product offering. The gentleman has since purchased two pairs of shoes and I will be meeting with him again tomorrow to continue our discussions as a follow-up,” said Eboru.
 
Sharing the secret behind his company’s travel to FACIM, Eboru said that the main aim was to study the business culture of the country.
 
“The idea was to really get a good sense of what the customer demographics within Maputo looks like. To gather customer and competitor insight, as well as to understand their product preference within their radius,” he said.
 
Eboru pointed out that his company’s goal beyond the seven-day fair was to set a mark within the region before extending their footprint on the global market.
 
“I think the Southern African Development Community is a stepping stone, once we have really set our footprint in that space, the next objective will be to stretch ourselves outside the periphery of our country and once we have achieved that then the world will be our oyster”, he concluded.

Issued by Department of Trade and Industry