South Africa all set to tap Indian market

This is the second time that South Africa will be participating as the partner country in IETF. The first time was in 2005 which was very helpful in generating awareness about the country as the producer of engineering and technology products. About 45 companies from that country participated at that time. The department of trade and industry, South Africa has identified India as natural trade partner and has adopted aggressive marketing initiatives to tap into large and growing Indian market.

South Africa's participation at IETF 2009 will witness display of technologies and products from over 60 exhibitors from the country. The products shall include USB evidence environment device, audio evidence recorders, internet applications, night vision goggles, infrared cameras, night vision cameras, rural telecommunication systems, energy efficient street lights, aerospace, marine and defence industry, agricultural machinery, cricket and tennis practice machines, etc.

Being the economic powerhouse of Africa, South Africa is leading the continent in industrial output and mineral production and generating a large proportion of Africa's electricity. Known as the gateway to Africa, South Africa is home to 6% of Africa's population, and accounts for approximately 25% of the continent's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It also boasts 45% of Africa's mineral production, and 50% of the continent's purchasing power. The nation has played a major role in the formation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), plotting a course of economic growth and poverty alleviation.

During this upswing the country's annual economic growth rate has averaged over 4%. In the decade prior to 1994, economic growth averaged less than 1% a year. South Africa's real gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 3.7% in 2002, 3.1% in 2003, 4.9% in 2004, 5% in 2005, 5.4% in 2006 - the highest since 1981 - and 5.1% in 2007. In the fourth quarter of 2007, South Africa recorded its 33rd quarter of uninterrupted expansion in real GDP since September 1999.

It is not only in the business sector that government is striving to provide for all South Africans - major progress has been made in improving the nation's quality of life. The estimated number of households with access to electricity has increased from 4.4 million (m) households in 1994, to 8.8m in 2007. Close to half of all consumers of electricity services from municipalities receive free basic electricity, with a large percentage of users in the Gauteng and Free State provinces benefiting from free basic electricity.

The country has abundant natural resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy and transport sectors, a stock exchange ranked among the top 20 in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting efficient distribution of goods throughout the southern African region.

Skills development too has come sharply into focus with the introduction of the Skills Development Act, in 1998. The Act aims to increase the skills of the nation by creating a "skills revolution". Further legislation was passed to encourage investment in skills development, namely the Skills Development Levies Act, No. 97 of 1998, which makes it compulsory for all employers to pay 1% of their payroll to the South African Revenue Service (SARS). The money is administered by the Department of Labour, where 20% is set aside for the National Skills Fund. The remaining funds are distributed amongst various Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), and are repaid to employers in the form of grants, which are utilised for training purposes. Despite the novelty of the system, it has resulted in immensely successful apprenticeships.

South African Pavilion can be visited at Hall 1, BIEC.