Dubai Chamber’s representative office in Mozambique recently organised a webinar in cooperation with the South African Business Council in the UAE and in association with Absa, which examined the bilateral economic synergies between the UAE and South Africa, and promoted Dubai as a global hub for South African companies.
The virtual event, attended by 113 participants from the UAE and South Africa, familiarised UAE companies with new investment and business opportunities in South Africa’s different sectors, advantages and facilities Dubai provides as an international business hub, while it shed light on South Africa’s economic landscape from different points of view.
Speakers and panelists participating in the webinar included Omar Khan, Director of International Offices, Dubai Chamber; Imtiaz Patel, Chair, Multichoice; Paul Potgieter, Chairman, The South African Business Council in UAE (SABCO); Barry Bedford, COO, Mediclinic UAE; Prof. Steyn Heckroodt, Chief Thought Leader, PCL; Melanie Veness, Chair, Association of South African Chambers; Yunus Hoosen, Head of Invest SA, DTIC; Karim Alami, Director, Ennero; and Premeshin Naidoo, Head of the Middle East and Asia, Absa.
Addressing participants, Khan noted that South Africa is a market of strategic importance to Dubai and Dubai Chamber. He noted that the Chamber is focusing its efforts on exploring business prospects in the country through its representative offices based in different parts of Africa, adding that over the last few years, Dubai has strengthened its position as a preferred trade hub for South African companies.
Dubai’s non-oil trade with South Africa has increased steadily in recent years to exceed $4 billion in 2020, Khan revealed. The South African Business Council in UAE, established years ago under the umbrella of Dubai Chamber, plays a crucial role in building bridges between UAE and South African companies, and this joint webinar between the two entities is just the first collaboration and yet many more will come in order to achieve our objectives in promoting Dubai as a global hub for South African companies, he added.
For his part, Paul Potgieter, Chairman, The South African Business Council in UAE (SABCO) said that Dubai acts as an accelerator to enhance and push the bilateral relationship between MENA and African countries, and SABCO plays a significant role in promoting and establishing new partnerships, adding that through Dubai South African companies can have access to global markets and Expo 2020 Dubai is an ideal platform to connect with the world and other markets.
A poll conducted during the webinar found that 33% of participants chose pro-business governments policy as a reason for doing business in Dubai, followed by connectivity 21% and leadership 18%, while participants voted for ICT and Agro-processing as the top sectors that businesses should invest in South Africa.
