South Africa’s High Commissioner Methuthuzeli Madikiza has said that his country considers Pakistan an important market for trade cooperation and is keen to further enhance the volume of bilateral trade.
The high commissioner expressed these views during his visit to the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) on Thursday. He was accompanied by Deputy head of Mission and Political Consular Christo Janse Van Noordwyk. RCCI President Muhammad Nasir Mirza, Senior Vice President Usman Ashraf, Vice President Shahraiz A Malik and members of the executive committee were also present on the occasion.
The high commissioner said that Pakistan is the 14th biggest exporter to South Africa, which calls for the need to further strengthen trade relations between the two countries. He said that the volume of bilateral trade could increase to $1 billion in the next few years if cooperation and joint ventures can be initiated in including tourism, agriculture, services and pharmaceutical sectors.
The high commissioner offered RCCI to organise its annual achievements awards in Cape Town and also accepted the invitation to participate in Build Expo 2021 being organized by the chamber.
Earlier, Nasir Mirza briefed the high commissioner about the ongoing activities and future programmes of the chamber. He said that the chamber has successfully conducted the trade forum with African countries through a virtual platform despite the coronavirus pandemic.
In order to increase trade with South Africa, trade related information should be shared and exchanged at the delegation level, he suggested.
