The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe arrived in Benin , on the last of her two-leg West Africa Outward Selling and Investment Mission, to increase trade and investment between South Africa, Ghana and Benin.

Deputy Minister Thabethe is accompanied by a delegation of businesspeople who have been assisted by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) through its Export Marketing and Investment Assistance Scheme (EMIA).

The outward selling and investment mission commenced in Accra, Ghana where Deputy Minister Thabethe met with the Ministers of Trade and Industry, Mr Haruna Idrissu, and Tourism, Ms Abla Dzifa Gomashie, as well as the Ghana Trade and Investment Promotion representatives. An undertaking was made during the bilateral meetings to fast-track the implementation of the Economic and Technical Co-operation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2011.

"In my discussions with my Ghanaian counterparts it was evident that there are opportunities for multi-sectoral collaborations as the country is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Despite this, Ghana has an underdeveloped infrastructure, especially in the transport and logistics sector and therefore we have undertaken to assist with our knowledge and expertise in that regard. We will also discuss in broad terms a framework to reconcile all these issues during President Zuma's state visit in November 2013," said Thabethe.

The Deputy Minister's programme will be implemented through a series of business-to-business seminars and forums, as well as site visits to sector related projects. The targeted sectors for the mission include agro-processing, built environment, infrastructure, energy, mining and electro-technical.

Thabethe emphasised the importance for South Africa continuing to pursue economic collaboration and partnerships with African countries when crafting the way-forward for sustainable development in the African region.

"It is in this regard that we have taken a conscious decision to partner with both Ghana and Benin during their reconstruction and development phases," she concluded.

Issued by: Department of Trade and Industry