Trade Mission to South Africa
Johannesburg | Pretoria | Cape Town, South Africa | 15th until 20th of October 2023From October 15 to 20th, an insightful Dutch trade mission will take place in South Africa. There will be 3 focus areas: green hydrogen, circular waste management, and agriculture and horticulture. The mission is organised by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Holland Circular Hotspot, the Netherlands Embassy in Pretoria & Consulate General in Cape Town, OostNL, and Impact Hydrogen.
Dutch companies active in these 3 sectors can register to join the mission via The Netherlands Enterprise Agency Website (RVO) by September 5th.
Participants will be joined by Piet Adema (Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) and Yvette van Eechoud (Deputy Director-General of Foreign Economic Relations for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
The mission is happening in parallel to the State Visit of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty Queen Máxima to South Africa at the invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa of the Republic of South Africa, on October 18 to 20th. This state visit will focus on good relations and an equal partnership between the two countries, with a focus on sustainable and inclusive growth, cultural cooperation and knowledge exchange.
Join the online info session on Aug. 31st at 10am CEST to discover more: register here to attend.
Circular economy opportunities in South Africa
South Africa is one of the largest economies and technically well-developed countries on the African continent, as well as a crucial trading partner for the Netherlands. It serves as a dynamic logistics hub also for the other countries in Southern Africa.
The country has a strong service industry, a modern financial sector and a competitive economy.
The South African government is working with companies on the green energy transition, circular waste management and the development of sustainable agriculture and horticulture. This cooperation leads to large-scale investments in these sectors.
Target group and programme
Dutch companies and knowledge institutes active in any of the 3 focus sectors (green hydrogen, circular waste management, and agriculture and horticulture) are welcome to join the mission. Participants will have a chance to network with local stakeholders and authorities, explore market opportunities and expected contracts and tenders, and get in touch with South African business partners and clients. There will also be plenty of opportunities to exchange knowledge and expertise with the relevant partners, thanks to a tailored-made agenda.
The mission programme will feature several components:
- Seminars
- Company and/or site visits
- Networking events
- Trade reception/trade dinner
- Individual matchmaking
- Local support from the organisation
The participation fee of EUR 950 per organisation covers attendance for up to 2 people and local transportation linked to the mission (Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town). Travel and accommodation costs are the expenses of participating organisations.
Registrations can be made by September 5th via the The Netherlands Enterprise Agency Website (RVO).
Simultaneously to this trade mission, a knowledge mission to South Africa will take place. This is organised by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Mission organisers are thus looking for possible links to their programme.
Focus sectors: Hydrogen, Waste Management, Agriculture
The programme will be geared towards opportunities and exchange in 3 focus areas: green hydrogen, circular waste management, and agriculture and horticulture.
In particular, the following topics will be addresses:
Green hydrogen – solutions and techniques for: electrolysis; desalination of water; hydrogen conversion; infrastructure for storage, distribution and transport of green hydrogen; applications of hydrogen in mobility and industry (such as in steel and fertilisers).
Circular waste management – whole waste management chain, (from collection, recycling to landfill management); renewable energy/biomass; applications of biogas, fermentation and composting; other circular themes such as plastics, building and construction.
Future-oriented agriculture and horticulture – innovative solutions in agriculture and horticulture to improve climate resilience; nexus water, food and biodiversity; (refrigerated) agrologistics; food processing.
