Solid Leads Made in Ghana Trade Mission

South African companies who participated in the recently concluded Outward Trade and Investment Mission (OTIM) are confident that trade leads made in Ghana will lead to solid deals.

Funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (dti), 30 local companies returned home on Sunday after partaking in the OTIM through the department's Export Marketing and Investment Assistance Scheme.

Stellenbosch winemaker Malcom Green said he held fruitful meetings with business people who are interested in helping his company to set up a wine bottling plant in the West African country.

"I had fruitful meetings with people who are interested in helping our company establish a wine bottling plant there as part of our export growth strategy for Africa. The Ghanaian investment promotion agency is also keen to play a role in facilitating the implementation of the project because of its potential to contribute in creating employment opportunities for the Ghanaians.

"We are excited because this will enable us to export South African wines bottled in Ghana to the rest of the West African region," said Green.

Local business people spent their time in Ghana attending seminars, engaging Ghanaian businesspeople in business-to-business meetings, and conducting site visit in search of trade and investment opportunities.

Hendrik Naude of Gauteng travelled to Ghana with the aim of seeking a distributor for his company's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions.

"From the numerous meetings that I held with the Ghanaian businesspeople I am coming back home with a list of three promising companies which we are likely to do business with in the near future. I have also met a potential customer who has requested a quotation that can see our products making their way to Ghana in the near future," he said.

The mission which concluded on Saturday, got underway on Monday with Ghanaian business people expressing their interest to doing business with South Africa.

South Africa's Foreign Economic Representative in Ghana, Nompumelelo Hlela, described the interest shown by the Ghanaians in doing business with South Africa as beyond expectations.

"The business seminar that we held on Wednesday was over-subscribed as we had planned for 150 participants but more than 250 businesspeople turned up."

"The response of the Ghanaian businesspeople to our invitation to the business-to-business meetings was beyond expectations. Our businesspeople had very good meetings both in terms of quality and quantity," she said.

Project Assistant Manager of Mibrams Ventures, Chris Larbi, said he came to the session to seek deals with the South Africans.

"We are happy that the South African companies have come to our shores so that we can exchange ideas and information on possible partnerships and do business with each other. I have spotted various business opportunities from the South African companies, particularly in agro-processing, that I think I will be venturing into and become their distributor in Ghana," said Larbi.

Meanwhile Chief Executive Officer of Amma Foods, Sandra Opokusariye, said she had come to seek a company that would assist her export her products to South Africa.

"We have identified South Africa as a possible export market for our products, particularly the organic cereal powder which we are planning to export there soon. I have made valuable contacts and obtained information from the South Africans that will hopefully assist us break into that market," said Opokusariye.

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