Indian and South African businesses need to consider how they can invest in projects to help combat unemployment, poverty and inequality, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.
“We invite the business communities … to consider seriously how they can invest in projects that will help us take forward these goals … while obviously obtaining returns on investments,” Zuma said in a speech prepared for delivery at the South Africa-India Business Forum.
“We stand ready to provide whatever support is needed to make doing business easy in the respective countries.”
Zuma and his Indian counterpart, Pratibha Devisingh Patil, who was in the country on a state visit, were attending the forum in Pretoria.
Zuma said Patil’s visit was a follow-up to the commitments made during his state visit to India in 2010. During that visit the two governments agreed to facilitate direct interaction between the private sectors of both countries.
Mutual trade
“We set a target of $15-billion of trade between South Africa and India, to be achieved by 2014,” said Zuma.
“According to current trade statistics this could be reached earlier than anticipated.”
By the end of last year the figure was close to $7-billion, he said.
“We are on the right path indeed. We congratulate you as business for taking this challenge seriously,” said Zuma.
The ministers responsible for trade, industry and commerce were of the view that the mutual trade between South Africa and India should increase to R111-billion by 2014, he said.
“Let me remind you that you are in the right continent at the right time. The African continent is the new frontier of economic growth and development,” said Zuma. — Sapa