By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) will host three-day export training workshops in three provinces next month as part of its efforts to nurture the culture of export and increase the number of the country’s exporters.
The workshops, which will be held in Polokwane, Pretoria, Cape Town and Johannesburg, are part of the Integrated National Export Strategy (INES) which is the country’s blueprint towards ensuring export promoting industrialisation to spur economic growth.
According to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, the strategy aims to increase South Africa’s capacity for exporting diversified and value-added goods to various global markets.
“One of the pillars of the National Export Strategy is the National Exporter Development Programme (NEDP) through which the department aims to promote the export culture and to increase the number of exporters in the country. The main goal of the NEDP is to increase exports, particularly of value-added products that contribute to employment creation,’’ says Minister Davies.
He adds that the programme will go a long way in creating a vibrant export culture in South Africa, developing a pool of export-ready companies, and ensuring that new markets and export products are developed.
The NEDP has an extensive capacity-building component, the Global Exporter Passport Programme (GEPP). It is a training programme that ensures that companies acquire export-ready status and sustainability in the international market. It also assists in enhancing the market competitiveness of exporters. About 3 000 companies have received training in different phases of the GEPP since its introduction in 2013.
“Interventions proposed in the National Development Plan to ensure that 11 million jobs are created by 2030 and for stimulating economic growth include improving skills and innovation, enhancing competitiveness of our businesses and increasing the country’s export earnings,” emphasises Davies.
He adds that the training that the dti is providing to businesspeople equips them with the knowledge and skills that they require to access international markets and produce products that have the capacity to compete with the best in the world.
“Companies which open markets in other parts of the world will consequently increase their production in order to service the new markets, thereby increasing our exports and contributing in job creation and growing the economy. The training assists us to expand the pool of companies that we fund to participate in international missions and trade fairs,’ says Minister Davies.
