Address by His Excellency, President of the Republic of South Africa, President Jacob Zuma, during the South Africa-Japanese Business Forum on the occasion of the Official Visit to Japan Tokyo, Japan

Programme Director,

Ministers and Deputy Ministers here present;  

Representatives of South African and Japanese Business,

Distinguished guests; 

Ladies and gentlemen; 

 

It is an honour to interact with business leaders from both our countries who are here to take advantage of business opportunities for the mutual benefit of South Africa and Japan.

We are grateful for the hospitality and warmth with which we have been received in this country since our arrival initially to participate in the Tokyo International Conference on Africa's Development and on this final day to undertake an Official Visit to this country at the kind invitation of His Excellency Prime Minister Abe.

 

This Business Forum session, meeting during this important Official Visit, is assisting us to further strengthen economic co-operation between South Africa and Japan. 

 

Relations between South Africa and Japan are also strong historically and politically. 

 

In October last year, the South African government conferred our prestigious national award, the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo, to Japanese national Toshio Akiniwa, in appreciation of his contribution to the attainment of freedom and democracy in South Africa. 

 

Ladies and gentleman,

 

Our collaboration with the international community, especially with key and strategic development partners such as Japan, is designed to help us achieve inclusive growth, sustainable development and a prosperous South Africa. 

 

South Africa and Japan enjoy strong economic ties. 

 

Japan is important to South Africa and the continent as a whole and this is evident from the commitment made by many Japanese companies through their investments in the South African economy. 

 

Japan is South Africa’s third largest export destination and the fifth largest source of imports. 

Japanese direct investment to South Africa has been steadily increasing in recent years, amounting to nearly R20 billion in 2010. 

 

We are happy to host 110 Japanese companies in South Africa, which generate about more than 200,000 jobs. 

 

What is more, manufacturing companies such as Toyota contribute significantly to raising the capacity of local industries, through supplier development and skills development programmes. 

 

We are pleased that the government of Japan is actively encouraging its businesses to continue exploring opportunities in South Africa.

We are sending the same message to our own business people.

 

The Japan External Trade Organization has organized numerous business missions to South Africa and interacts on a regular basis with the department of Trade and Industry. 

 

Since 2008, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has provided low interest loans and guarantees to Eskom and Transnet. 

 

Japanese companies are also actively participating in our infrastructure programmes, particularly in the rail sector. 

 

Of late, we have also witnessed keen interest from Japanese banks to support their clients on the ground in South Africa. This is a very encouraging sign. 

Japanese companies have a tradition of taking a long term view and placing emphasis on contributing to society. 

 

Therefore, South Africa and the region will only benefit from the continued presence of more Japanese businesses.

 

Let me use this opportunity to invite you to continue investing in South Africa. We are open for business. 

 

As our Ministers will indicate, we encourage economic activity in many areas especially in six jobs drivers.

These are infrastructure development, agriculture, mining and beneficiation, manufacturing, the green economy and tourism.  

 

Our government and parliament have adopted the National Development Plan, our socio-economic blueprint for eliminating poverty, reducing inequality and accelerating economic growth in South Africa by 2030.

 

This plan, which will be implemented by every government department and state entity, seeks to unite all sectors towards building an inclusive economy, enhancing the capacity of the state, and promoting leadership and partnerships throughout society. 

 

Within the National Development Plan we have operational plans such as the Industrial Policy Action Plan which is focused on strategic sectors enabled by sound investment strategies. 

 

We also offer opportunities in infrastructure development. This is a key vehicle for improving the quality of life and of providing a more focused access to basic services, competitiveness and jobs in South Africa. 

 

Our infrastructure drive is about providing housing, sanitation, public transport and running water in the urban areas for millions of South Africans who are stay in urban areas. 

 

It is about connecting rural communities to economic opportunities through building dams and irrigation systems, connecting farms and villages to the energy grid and building schools and clinics. 

 

Japan has developed a unique set of competencies in the area of infrastructure development.

 

It is also a well-known fact that Japan is the largest bilateral donor in the infrastructure sector in Africa, and a strong supporter of the Programme for Infrastructure Development Africa (PIDA).  This is most welcome indeed.

 

Another area of opportunity which we would like to bring to the attention of Japanese companies is our ambition to beneficiate South Africa’s raw materials at source.

 

On Beneficiation, we have launched a comprehensive research project that will develop a strategy to identify commercialisation opportunities in five key mineral value chains from iron ore, steel to platinum.

 

We see Japan as a strategic partner in achieving this ambition, particularly in the light of market opportunities in the rest of Africa. 

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

We are impressed by Japan and have a lot to learn from this country. 

 

Despite the lack of natural resources, Japan is able to claim global leadership in a vast number of manufacturing sectors ranging from the automotive sector to the most sophisticated high technology sectors. 

 

I would like to urge Japanese importers to explore the various high-quality and innovative value added products available from South Africa. 

I also want to encourage more Japanese companies to take advantage of South Africa as a manufacturing platform to increase their market share on the growing African continent. 

 

Programme director,

 

South Africa participated in the African Fair 2013 on the sidelines of the TICAD V Summit.  We are delighted with the excitement that South African wines generated at the fair, alongside other products that we are proud of such as our famous Rooibos tea. We thank the Japanese government for providing the opportunity for Africa and Japan to showcase products in that manner.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

We trust that this meeting today will serve as a platform to further strengthen and promote economic, trade, business and investment ties between the business communities of our countries. 

 

I want to take this opportunity to reiterate the commitment within our private sector to foster closer collaboration with Japanese companies and I am sure that this interaction today will set the tone for enhanced collaboration. 

 

I look forward to welcoming Japanese business delegations to our shores soon to explore further opportunities.

 

I thank you.