A seminar aimed at fostering Taiwan investment in southern Africa was staged July 27 in Taipei City, with about 100 officials and business representatives gathering to explore potential tie-ups and market opportunities in the region.
 
The one-day event was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in conjunction with Taipei-based Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association and auditing services firm KPMG Taiwan. It comprised discussions and speeches on emerging commercial and industrial sectors, state support programs, and the investment climates in diplomatic ally Kingdom of Eswatini as well as Mozambique and South Africa.
 
Speaking at the opening ceremony, MOFA Vice Minister Jose Maria Liu said that Africa is expected to become the engine of global growth. Given the high degree of complementarity between Taiwan and emerging African economies, the expansion of business and trade collaboration would lead to substantial benefits for all parties, he added.
 
According to Liu, the government offers a host of assistance programs for Taiwan enterprises eyeing this region. Related services span corporate protection and market information, research and analysis, and are delivered through the nation’s diplomatic, economic and trade promotion offices across the continent, he said.
 
Eswatini is an excellent base for companies seeking to bolster their presence in eastern and southern Africa, Liu said, noting that the country is a member of the Southern African Customs Union and signed a bilateral economic cooperation agreement with Taiwan during King Mswati III’s state visit in June.
 
According to the MOFA, the forum was organized under the Africa Project, a government initiative aimed at strengthening Taiwan’s trade ties with Eswatini and neighboring countries launched after President Tsai Ing-wen’s tour of the diplomatic ally in April.
 
Speakers at the seminar included Eswatini Charge d’Affaires Lindiwe Kunene, Robert Seraki Matsebe, representative of the Liaison Office of South Africa in Taiwan, and Achilles Yeh, representative of Mozambique Investment Promotion Centre.
 
The event was attended by members of the Africa Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research and World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce, as well as local banking corporations, consultancies, investment companies and technology firms, the MOFA said. (KWS-E)
 
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