“The first thing the South African Business Community wants to know is Ethiopia’s location …”
Sivu Maqungo, Chief Director for East and the Horn of Africa at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Republic of South Africa said on September 19/2012. He was in Addis Ababa to address a business meeting the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (AACCSA) organized for the Ethiopian Business Community to talk about business and investment with a delegation from South Africa. Maqungo, who was head of the Delegation, said to a group of Journalists that South African Business Community would like to know three things about Ethiopia. So, solemnly, he said, the first thing they would like to know is, Ethiopia’s location. They also want to know if the investment climate is attractive or not and if the business environment is receptive to their particular interests. Maqungo delivered a long speech by first narrating how South Africans are thankful to Ethiopia because it offered Nelson Mandela the much needed military training to aid his movement for the black South African’s fight for freedom and equality.
AACCSA invited 30 South African business people to the meeting. However the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which was established in 1890 as one of Africa’s oldest chambers and with over 3,000 active members currently succeeded in bringing only three business people who were accompanied by eight state officials; including Maqungo.
