DHL Express and the Cape Chamber host Export For Growth Conference in Cape Town

DHL Express SSA together with the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted over 160 business owners in Cape Town for an Export for Growth conference on 18 September 2024.

The conference, also joined by the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Gwyn Hill-Lewis, aimed to provide a platform where local businesses can gain access to information and tools that will enable them to access global markets.

Global trade is important for the growth of Southern African economies, and both international and intra-Africa exports represent opportunities for growth for businesses and economies across the region. According to the Afrexim Bank report: A Resilient Africa: Delivering Growth in a Turbulent World[1], Africa’s economic growth decelerated to 3.2 percent in 2023 from 4 percent in 2022.

Several large economies in the region experienced economic slowdown, including key economies such as Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda.

While the continent has not been exempted from challenges such as tightening global financial conditions, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions, subdued global growth, and the growing impact of climate change and extreme weather events, there is still resilience and opportunities for growth across different countries in the region.

The Africa Free Continental Trade Agreement, supplemented by the growth in second cities provides immerse cross-border trade for businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement will create the largest free trade area in the world measured by the number of countries participating. The pact connects 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) valued at US$3.4 trillion[2]. The growth of Africa’s second cities,  driven by Africa’s population which is set to become a larger proportion of the global population, rising from 17% in 2020 to a forecast 25% by 2050. 

Afrexim Bank report confirms that 2023, intra-African trade remained on the upward trajectory, increasing to US$189.3 billion. This performance was driven largely by continued synchronised efforts, including implementation of the AfCFTA by governments, the private sector, and regional organisations across the continent.

"We are excited to see the upward movement of intra-Africa trade across the region, and through our network and programs such as GoTrade, we are excited to work with businesses in Cape Town and South Africa to connect them to opportunities that exist globally and regionally.

"We believe that private-public partnerships are critical for the growth of our economies, it is encouraging to have had a stern commitment from the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Lewis-Hill of ensuring increased ease of doing business in Cape Town", said Hennie Heymans, CEO DHL Express SSA.