Africa Down Under: SA companies to showcase products and services in Australia

 According to the Department of Trade and Industry, the firms drawn from the mining, technology, capital equipment, steel fabrication and steel tubing, engineering and electro-technical equipment sectors.

They will participate as part of an outward selling mission to Australia organised and funded through the department’s export marketing and investment assistance scheme, which aims to develop external markets for local  products.

What is Africa Down Under?

Africa Down Under (ADU) was held for the first time in 2003 and has since become the must-attend event for any one individual or company seeking to invest in projects in Africa. The organisers explain:

“In addition to creating a melting pot for pro-Africa-Australia relations, ADU forms the principal pillar of “Africa Week”, Australia’s week-long celebration of the strong and growing business, social and cultural ties between Australia and the entire African continent. “Africa Week” comprises a full week of satellite events on research, education, infrastructure, sustainable development, capacity building, energy, movies and the arts.”

The 17th ADU event takes place in Perth, Western Australia, from 4 to 6 September, where it will once again “assert its position as a global capital for African mining and the driving force of Australian-African relations.

An excellent networking opportunity

One of the department’s two deputy ministers, Fikile Majola, said the ADU event was the world’s leading gathering for companies and organisations in mineral exploration and mining services.

He added that it had become the largest African-focused mining event held outside the continent itself. Majola explained:

“It will provide a perfect platform for our business people to showcase their products, services and expertise and interact with other business people from across the globe. ADU is also an excellent source of information on future mining projects in Africa and elsewhere.”

While primarily aimed at the mining industry, the event will also be beneficial to anyone working in Education and Research, Health and Safety, Engineering, as well as Transport and Logistics.

The 2018 event was attended by more than 1 400 delegates from across Africa, participating in 72 presentations and panel discussions. More than 90 exhibition booths were available to peruse.

Boost trade and job creation

The companies were chosen from among more than 850 entities which the department has committed to funding this financial year to help them explore export markets.

Majola hopes that the initiative will help South African companies to secure international markets and “increase their production,” which in turn will lead to job creation. He added:

“We are optimistic that this mission will create more market entry opportunities for South African value-added products and services into Africa, Oceania and beyond.”

Bilateral trade between South Africa and Australia rose from R21 billion in 2013 to R28 billion in 2018, with the balance in favour of Australia. In the Asian region, Australia was South Africa’s 7th export partner and 5th import partner in 2018.

The complete list of exhibitors at Africa Down Under 2019 can be viewed here.