The South Africa of today is one of the most sophisticated and promising emerging markets globally. The unique combination of a highly developed first-world economic infrastructure and a huge emergent market economy has given rise to a strong entrepreneurial and dynamic trade and investment environment.

Besides being ideally positioned as a gateway to Sub-Saharan Africa, the following are some of the key reasons for doing business in South Africa:

• The country is a member of the G20 and has a sound regulatory framework of recognised international standards for commerce and business.
• As Africa’s financial hub, South Africa has a sophisticated banking sector with a significant footprint into the rest of the continent.
• With an innovative and dynamic technology sector, South Africa is leading the African continental response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
• South Africa has the most diversified and industrialized economy of any African nation, with strong sectors in financial services, tourism, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and ICT.
• The cost of doing business in South Africa compares favourably to other emerging world markets.
• Ranked No. 1 in Africa in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index, South Africa has the largest air, ports and logistics network on the continent.
• South Africa is a signatory to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which will boost intra-Africa trade, creating a market of more than 1 billion people with a GDP of $2.6 trillion

The following are some of the sectors which have high growth potential:

• Agro-Processing
• Business Process Outsourcing and IT-Enabled Services
• Capital / Transport equipment, metals & electrical machinery and apparatus
• Electro-Technical
• Textile, Clothing and Leather
• Consumer Goods
• Automotive and Components
• Green Economy Industries
• Bio-manufacturing
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Chemicals, Plastic Fabrication and Pharmaceuticals
• Oil and Gas