Trade, Industry and Competition hosts awareness workshop on benefits for small businesses from African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, 13 Feb

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), in partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDT) and  Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) will host an awareness workshop on how small businesses can benefit from the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement.

The workshop will be held at the GSDM Office Complex, Mayor’s Parlour, in Ermelo, Mpumalanga on Thursday, 13 February 2025 from 09:00

The purpose of the workshop is to expose the Mpumalanga businesspeople, particularly small business owners, to export opportunities that the AfCFTA agreement presents. The workshop provides an opportunity for the businesspeople to equip themselves with information that will enable them to enter the African export market and expand their businesses into the continent.

In addition to exporting opportunities provided by the AfCFTA, the businesspeople will also receive information on the support to grow their businesses that they can access from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA), DEDT and the dtic.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a trade agreement that aims to create a single market for the African continent.  The main objective of the agreement, which was signed in 2018, is to enable the free flow of goods and services across the continent. In January 2024, the South African government held a ceremony in Durban to launch the country’s start of preferential trade under the AfCFTA

The AfCFTA is one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. It aims to bring together all 55-member states of the African Union, covering a market of more than 1.3 billion people.

By eliminating barriers to trade in Africa, the objective of the AfCFTA is to significantly boost intra-Africa trade, particularly trade in value-added production and trade across all services sectors of Africa’s economy.

The successful implementation of the AfCFTA is expected to enhance intra-Africa trade, accelerate growth, promote intra-Africa investments, strengthen African companies’ access to global markets, increase employment opportunities and broaden economic inclusion. It will also provide South African exporters with new market access opportunities to key markets in the African Continent beyond the Southern Africa Development Community and can unlock growth.

For RSVPs, media enquiries and requests for interviews:

Department of Trade, Industry and Competition   
Bongani Lukhele – Director: Media Relations
Tel: 012 394 1643
Mobile: 079 5083 457
WhatsApp: 074 2998 512
Email: BLukhele@thedtic.gov.za   or Mediarelations@thedtic.gov.za

Mpumalanga Department of Economic Development
Mohau Ramodibe
Head of Communication
Tel: 013766 4148
Mobile: 060 989 4678
Email: Mohauram@mpg.gov.za

Gert Sibande District Municipality
Bongiwe Dube – Head of Communication
Tel: 017 801 7061
Mobile & WhatsApp: 071 893 2204
Email: Bongiwed@gsibande.org.za

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