Following South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) concentrated on reintegrating the country into the global economy after decades of isolation. This required new policies and the consolidation of existing ones. After the country's general elections in 1999, the DTI moved its focus to transformation, which involved the development of an organisational structure more suited to the economic needs of the country and the challenges of globalisation.
The DTI's sixth annual iteration of the Industrial Policy Action Plan, IPAP 2012/2013-2014/15-2016/17, and the National Development Plan 2030, entitled Our future – make it work, will drive the direction of future Government policies.
The DTI offers a variety of services to those interested in establishing or conducting business in South Africa. These centre on broadening the participation of individuals or groups formerly excluded from the mainstream economy; driving industrial development, including the development of small, micro and medium enterprises; and promoting trade, export and investment.
The Industrial Development Corporation exists as part of the DTI's overall strategy and consists of divisions, with each division composed of strategic business units ensuring an industry-specific approach.
A plethora of financial assistance measures are available. These provide both general and targeted measures to increase economic activity in areas where South Africa has endowments and comparative advantages. Investors, both local and foreign, can gain substantially by employing the financial assistance measures available to them.
“The DTI offers a variety of services to those interested in establishing or conducting business in South Africa.”
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