Businesspeople representing nineteen South African companies operating in various sectors will depart for Luanda, Angola on Sunday to showcase their products and services in the annual Feira Internacional de Angola (FILDA) trade exhibition that will take place from 12-16 July 2022.
The participation of the companies has been made possible by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) through its Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA) Scheme. The objective of the scheme is to develop export markets for South African products and services, and to recruit new foreign direct investment into the country.
FILDA is one of the largest and most popular multi-sectoral trade exhibitions in Africa. Last year, even in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, 750 exhibitors from almost 18 countries participated in the exhibition, with almost 20 000 visitors passing through its turnstiles.
It is envisaged that companies will return with numerous trade leads that will eventually develop into concrete deals, which will see the South African companies exporting their products and services to various countries, thereby contributing in creating jobs and growing the country’s economy.
According to the Managing Director of the Rustenburg-based North West mining company, Prelec Mining Supplies, Mr Rueben Matlapeng the exhibition could not have come at a more opportune time.
His company is in the process of implementing a marketing strategy with the aim of expanding its footprint in Africa to increase the export market for the products that they manufacture. These include electrical cables, electrical connectors, safety products, high pressure cleaners, and heavy duty machinery lubricants.
“Our products are already being exported to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, but we are in the process of adding more African countries on the list of markets that our products must have a presence in. We participated in a mining trade fair in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month, also with the assistance of the dtic,” says Matlapeng.
“Filda will be another perfect platform for us to interact with companies from across the continent and beyond. We are optimistic that when we complete the process of following up on the leads we will have obtained in the DRC and Angola, more of our products will be finding their way to different parts of the continent.”
The Director and co-owner of a Sasolburg-based engineering company, Lekoa Cooling Tower Services, Mr Phuthi Boshielo says he is looking forward to showcasing his company’s products and services on an international platform for the first time.
“We are travelling to Angola with an open mind to learn more about what other companies have to offer and identify where our products could be needed. We are looking forward to putting our best foot forward and taking full advantage of this opportunity. This is the best platform for us to market our products on an international stage, as Filda is said to be one of the biggest trade fairs in Africa. We have been receiving enquiries from several African countries, including Kenya, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe,” adds Boshielo.
His company specialises in the maintenance and servicing of cooling towers. It also supplies cooling tower spare parts for locally manufactured, as well as imported cooling towers.
Wines produced by the Stellenbosch-based La RicMal Wines are already exported to twelve African countries, mainly through Shoprite Checkers. The company’s Marketing Manager, Mr Malcom Green, says he will be using his participation in Filda to explore more export market penetration opportunities for the rest of the continent.
“It is our mission not only to increase the number of countries that our wines are exported to in Africa, but also to ensure that the volumes of our wines in countries where we already have a presence go up. And Filda provides us with a good opportunity to market our wines to the distributors, buyers, exporters and importers who are expected to descend on Luanda to look for good products to buy and sell,” says Green.
According to the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Nomalungelo Gina, South Africa’s participation in FILDA will contribute in increasing trade and investment, and strengthening bilateral economic relations between South Africa and Angola.
“These are the kinds of platforms that will enable South Africa and Angola, as Southern African Development Community members, to contribute in increasing intra-African trade and investment in order to achieve the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. We expect the interaction amongst companies from across the continent in particular, to result in trade, partnerships and joint-ventures that will see trade and investment flows moving in different direction in Africa,” says Gina.
She adds that the participation of the SA companies will contribute to the dtic’s mandate of increasing the value of the country’s exports through export sales which the companies are expected to make by securing deals.