Japanese businesses should reach out to South African companies to find areas of cooperation, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said.
Ramaphosa told the Japan-Africa Business Expo in Yokohama, Japan on Thursday that the expo was “an opportunity for companies to meet one another, find points of mutual understanding and work together on new projects.”
“Speak to us about your ambitions and plans, be open about the challenges you face and let us find ways to help you,” he said.
Investors, he said, would be most successful when they partner with local firms, employed local people and learnt from local knowledge to do their businesses.
According to the South African leader, job creation was an absolute priority for all African economies and must be a priority for foreign companies operating in these markets as well.
“We look forward to working together to achieve growth, development and shared prosperity,” he told the gathering of over 150 Japanese exhibitor companies and thousands of business people from Africa and Japan.
He said the message from Japanese companies operating in Africa was clear: “Now is the time to invest.”
NM/jn/APA