Optimism around potential of intra-Africa trade

Ntokozo Khumalo: This year’s manufacturing in Daba takes place am mid growing global uncertainty, um, fueled by that US tariffs that do kick in on the 1st of August. Then to talk us through impact on industry and how they’re navigating through this. To see the industry continue to grow is Mark Goliath, who is the acting head of.

Manufacturing with the IDC. Thank you so much, mark, for talking to us. How do we continue to ensure the industry still grows despite those challenges?

Mark Goliath: Well, the nice thing about being South African and a South African manufacturer. Is that we faced these kind of challenges before and we know that we are sile agile and adaptable.

I think where the IDC is looking to play a more active role is to identify the sectors that are going to be impacted because sectors, not all sectors across the manufacturing sphere will be impacted by this. Obviously the most, the one that’s getting the most airtime is the automotive sector. Okay.

Where we will see a reduction in exports almost immediately if the 30% kicks in. But what we must be wary of. Is that it’s only 4% of, of automotive exports that actually go to the us. The bulk of our, of our exports go to the EU and the uk.

Ntokozo Khumalo: Mm. And, and tapping into the risk of the African market is something that we’ve had a discussion, um, on before.

How far are we moving? Are we moving fast enough to sort of build those trade partners and, and really get rid of some of the bottlenecks, including. Payments and so on. When it comes to exports in intra Africa trade, what are some of the focus areas there for the IDC? And you are gonna have those discussions on panel as well.

Mark Goliath: I think the focus areas remain consistent. Um, industrialization. Remains a key focus area for us. The payment elements are being worked on through the African, continental free trade, uh, commission, quite actively and already there’s significant headway that’s been made organizations such, such as the, uh, Exxon Bank.

Uh, is, is driving that and facilitating that, uh, kind of payment methodology, which will allow easier access to, to foreign currency payments, uh, within an African context.

Ntokozo Khumalo: Well, mark, thank you so much, uh, for talking to us and we are excited to hear some of the projects that the IDC is involved in. Of course, mark Goliath is the head acting head of manufacturing at the IDC.

Just talking to us. Here at the manufacturing in DBA for Newsroom Africa on Channel 4 0 5. Farm Talo in San Johannesburg.

Source: https://youtu.be/k1mghxqvaRU