Business Seminar Southern Africa and Indian Ocean

15-16 October 2024, Johannesburg

3^rd edition

France is a major economic actor in Southern Africa (South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Maurice, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe). This destination presents numerous opportunities for French entrepreneurs.

Southern Africa matters, with South Africa and Angola, two local African powerhouses. It’s GDP, representing a third of Sub-Saharan Africa, should reach 4,4% in 2024, against 3% for the world growth. The demographic growth (220M inhabitants) is dynamic and accompanied by the growth of the middle class.

The access to the sub-region markets is facilitated by the settlement of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) which has an agreement (APE) with the European Union. In this context, our commercial trades with the sub-region, superior to EUR 2Mds, are growing at a surplus. South Africa, the number one economy on the African continent, together with G20 members and BRICS, is the first economic and commercial partner of France in Sub-Saharan Africa. Almost 5000 French companies export there annually, and 400 subsidiaries represent more than 65 000 direct employments.

The aim of the Forum is to attract more French companies to the region, with an already high success rate. Technological solutions and French services are appreciated and sought after in all sectors in the sub-region: agriculture / agri-food, energy transition, environment, infrastructure, logistics, healthcare, tech and tourism. At the same time, companies from the sub-continent, particularly South Africa and Madagascar, are investing significantly in France. This workshop, organized by Business France and its Team France Export, will feature a wealth of business meetings with French and Southern African entrepreneurs, as well as numerous qualified business appointments.

An event not to be missed!