The president of CEOE International, Marta Blanco, met with the ambassador of the Republic of South Africa in Spain, Sankie D. Mthembi-Mahanyele.
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On November 22, with the aim of following up on the official trip of the President of the Government of Spain to South Africa which took place last October 27, the president of CEOE International, Marta Blanco, met with the ambassador of the Republic of South Africa in Spain, Sankie D. Mthembi-Mahanyele. The first political secretary of the South African Embassy also participated in the meeting, Makwatse Bertha Mokgethi and Miguel Brunete, technician for Africa at CEOE international.
During the meeting, the good impressions of the official trip of the President of the Government of Spain were analyzed, as well as the developments in bilateral relations between Spain and South Africa that emerged within the framework of the same. Among them, the memorandum of understanding to collaborate in private sector investment projects that they signed stood out COFIDES and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC). Likewise, the new initiatives of the South African Government were discussed, such as the Just Energy Transition (JET) Investment Plan announced during the Summit of World Leaders at COP27 and the benefits for South Africa of the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In this sense, it was agreed to work together in the coming months on new initiatives and activities to publicize the opportunities of the South African market and promote the presence of Spanish companies in the country in key sectors such as energy, infrastructure, digitalization, manufacturing or water treatment.
La South Africa's economy is one of the most developed on the continent, which is reflected in the weight of its services sector. In 2021 it experienced growth of 4,5% and the OECD It predicts growth for the country of 1,8% in 2022. Bilateral trade relations between Spain and South Africa reveal a historic trade surplus in favor of Spain. Currently, our country has a positive balance of 157 million euros and coverage of 113%. Spain's accumulated investment stock in South Africa is 857 million euros.
