This course explores the key role of African trade and industrial development for the future of South African – based manufacturers and prepares course participants to take advantage of emerging regional opportunities through the application of a selection of strategic approaches to African expansion.
It starts with a focus on continental economic and market developments, as well as industrial and trade policy experiences in Africa and South Africa post-1994. Specific attention is given to multilateral, regional, and bilateral trade agreements that dominate international trade, and their strategic implications for different types of manufacturers. The ongoing developments in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are explored in terms of their potential significance for local and international producers.
The first two days help build a platform of understanding about selected features of the African continent and its economic processes. This is followed by the third day where some case studies are explored and where groups do preparation for their presentations. These “board presentations” are geared to advocating for company resource deployment and associated responses to opportunities linked to trade and/or investment options for South African manufacturers in other African countries. The application of learning is focused on using a set of concrete opportunities and challenges based on the firms represented within the course. The course is completed with an interrogation of lessons from each of the presentations and those gained from the presented material.
