South Africa: Made In The Cape hosted ‘Buyers Programme’ that expanded global opportunities for Western Cape exporters.
The Western Cape exports took the centre stage this week as Wesgro’s flagship ‘Made In The Cape’ hosted Buyers’ Programme connected to the local businesses with global markets.
More than two days, 275 local exporters engaged 38 international buyers in more than 600 targeted B2B meetings, opening the doors to new market opportunities.
As the programme wraps up, the international buyers are experiencing the inspiring opportunities of the Cape Town firsthand, with site visits to Khayelitsha Cookies, Solar MD, Cape Herb & Spice and Zhauns Group.
There they would like to thank the headline sponsor, Standard Bank Group for their commitment to support local businesses in the Western Cape. This is a great example of the public & private sector working together.
The Buyers Programme hosted in partnership with Standard Bank went underway, as the initiative connected local producers and service providers with international buyers. This initiative opened new trade opportunities and drives economic growth.
The programme demanded high-quality goods and services rising worldwide. The platform is helping various businesses especially Cape-based to secure a foothold in key markets.
It was launched by Wesgro in March 2023, and was officially kicked off on Monday with a welcome reception held at Nasdak in the Media24Building.
This year, it brought together 38 international buyers from 16 countries, such as Belgium, Canada, Cameroon, Czech Republic, China, Denmark, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK, and the USA,
During the ongoing programme, the buyers came from a diverse range of sectors including Food & Beverage, Primary Agriculture, Services, Manufacturing, Clothing & Textiles.
Throughout this whole week, the businesses participated in more than 600 targeted trade matchmaking sessions which was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), which forged connections that could lead to long-term exporting growth.
Considering this, CEO of Wesgro – Wrenelle Stander reflected on the importance of the event and said that the Market access is critical for export-led growth and the mission is to help local businesses break into new markets while expanding in the established markets.
Furthermore, the Made in the Cape hosted Buyers’ Programme that helped in connecting global buyers with Western Cape producers and made it easier for the businesses to showcase their products and services, while securing international trade deals.
Alderman James Vos for Economic Growth and Tourism highlighted the strategic advantage of the Cape Town as a global trading hub and said that the region is home to world-class producers. It strengthened the international trade ties to support local businesses and boost the global reputation and competitiveness of the Cape Town.