Mpumalanga Trade & Investment Profile 2023

THE PLACE OF THE RISING SUN
MPUMALANGA
TRADE & INVESTMENT PROFILE
MPUMALANGA IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

WHY INVEST IN MPUMALANGA?
• 68% of land area in the province is used by agriculture
• Mpumalanga’s three biggest sectors are manufacturing, mining and agriculture
Mpumalanga’s diverse and resource-rich economy makes it one of the most
attractive trade and investment destinations in South East Africa.
A large, growing domestic market and excellent access, supported by worldclass
infrastructure, to the East African and Indian Ocean markets through
Maputo Port makes Mpumalanga an ideal investment location for export-driven
manufacturing and production.
Mpumalanga is one of South Africa’s most productive and important agricultural
regions and through strategic investments in the Mpumalanga International
Fresh Produce Market (MIFPM) and the Nkomazi Special Economic Zone (NSEZ)
the province is set to become a major force in food production and distribution.
Mpumalanga’s sophisticated and well-segmented tourism and hospitality
sector in a post-Covid world is ripe for investment and expansion.
Mpumalanga’s STRATEGIC LOCATION makes it
a valuable transport and logistics hub
Mpumalanga
UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION
•Abundant resources: minerals and agricultural produce
• Established manufacturing infrastructure: smelters,
petrochemicals, food processing, paper, sugar
• Strategic location, access to regional and
global markets
• Tourism hotspots: the iconic Kruger National Park,
world-class reserves, adventure tourism and new
UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce
Market (MIFPM)
• Nkomazi Special Economic Zone (NSEZ)
• The new University of Mpumalanga
• Support for Green Economy research and investment
A province in eastern
South Africa, bordering
the nations of Swaziland
and Mozambique
• Maputo Development Corridor enhances logistics
• Preferential access to lucrative EU market
• Proximity to South Africa’s economic heartland
• Access to regional SADC market: 360-million population
• Access to deepwater Port of Maputo
Capital City
Mbombela
(Nelspruit)
Population
4.5-million people
Main major towns
Ermelo
eMalahleni
Middelburg
Secunda
Airport Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport
MPUMALANGA’S ECONOMY
The provincial economy of Mpumalanga is exceptionally diverse.
Established industries in the province include Mining, Stainless
Steel, Petrochemicals, Pulp and Paper, Ferro-Alloys, Energy
Generation, Tourism, Agriculture and Agro-Processing.
Companies in these sectors include global giants in their
industries such as Sasol (energy and chemicals), Sappi
(paper, packaging, pulp and forests), Samancor Chrome
(ferrochrome), Sibanye-Stillwater and Glencore (mining).
AGRICULTURE 3%
COMMUNITY
SERVICE 19%
FINANCE
14%
TRANSPORT 6%
MINING 20%
TRADE 14%
MANUFACTURING
15%
ELECTRICITY 7%
CONSTRUCTION
2%
District GVA by district
38% 34%
Nkangala
Ehlanzeni
28%
Gert
Sibanda
The province’s commercial farmers are among the most efficient in the world,
exporting huge quantities of everything from citrus to macadamia nuts. Columbus
Stainless is the only stainless-steel manufacturer on the continent.
GOVERNANCE
The province has three district municipalities and 17 local municipalities. Several
agencies which promote the regional economy report to the Mpumalanga Provincial
Government. Large parts of the province comprises extensive rural villages that
form part of areas run by traditional authorities.
TRANSPORT
Two airports at Hoedspruit and Mbombela (Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport,
KMIA) plus many airfields. Extensive freight rail network, busiest in South Africa. N4
highway (Maputo Corridor) is an east-west spine of a highly-developed road system.

ABOUT MEGA
The Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA) is the official Economic
Development Agency for the Mpumalanga Provincial Government.
MEGA’s primary mandate is to foster the sustainable growth and development of Mpumalanga’s economy through
its operational activities of Trade and Investment Promotion, Development Funding, Equity Investments, and
Property and Infrastructure Development. The Agency remains accountable to the Mpumalanga Department of Economic
Development and Tourism (DEDT). MEGA is the foreign investor’s or trader’s first point of contact for doing successful
business in Mpumalanga Province. Through the Trade and Investment Promotion Division, the Agency provides a variety
of services to potential investors and trading partners.
PLANNING THE WAY FORWARD
National government has articulated a Nine-Point Plan which seeks to prioritise projects
that will tackle key economic issues. MEGA is aligned with the plan, which include issues
relevant to growing the provincial economy:
• revitalise agriculture and the agro-processing chain
• advancing mineral beneficiation
• implementing the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) effectively
• unlocking the potential of SMMEs, cooperatives and township and rural enterprises
• resolving the energy challenge
• stabilising the labour market
• upscaling private investment
• investment in science and technology, water and sanitation, transport
and broadband connectivity
The Maputo Development Corridor is South Africa’s leading
Spatial Development Initiative (SDI), linking Mpumalanga Province,
Gauteng Province and the Nkomazi Special Economic Zone with
the deepwater Port of Maputo in Mozambique. This efficient
corridor provides investors and exporters with good access to the
export markets of South East Africa, the Indian Ocean Rim and
Far East Asia. The Maputo Development Corridor comprises road,
SOUTH AFRICA
MEGA SERVICES
MEGA staff will go out of their way to make the process of investing in Mpumalanga
or starting a business in the province easy. MEGA is focussed on customer needs
and provides innovative solutions with a high level of service. Services include:
• Foreign Trade Promotion
• Investment Promotion
• Funding
• Property Management
and Infrastructure
Development
MAPUTO DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR
Lydenburg
rail, Special Economic Zone, border posts, port and terminal
facilities. The corridor runs through the most highly industrialised
and productive regions of Southern Africa. The Corridor has been
extensively upgraded to international standards and links the
industrial heartland of South Africa to its nearest port in Maputo,
Mozambique, which is one of the fastest-growing countries in
South East Africa.
Sabie
MOZAMBIQUE
Middelburg
Belfast
Mbombela
Komatipoort
JOHANNESBURG
Carolina
SWAZILAND
MAPUTO

KEY SECTORS AGRICULTURE
Agriculture in Mpumalanga is responsible for 3% of the
province’s gross value added by region (GVA-R) and can
be divided into the following categories (see map, right).
AGRICULTURE
SUMMER CEREALS &
LEGUMES
MAIZE Maize meal
SOYA Meal, Edible oil
CANOLA Edible oil
SUNFLOWER Edible oil
TROPICAL &
SUBTROPICAL FRUIT
CANE SUGAR Sugar /
confectionery
CITRUS Juice & concentrate
MANGOES Dried, frozen,
juice & concentrates
LITCHIS Dried, frozen,
juice & concentrates
AVOCADOES Avocado oil
GUAVA Dried, frozen,
juice & concentrates
MACADAMIA NUTS
Processed & confectionery
Mpumalanga Province is one of South Africa’s most productive and
important agricultural regions and plays a key role in the export profile of
South Africa, primarily in fruit and nuts. The province’s economic diversity
extends into the agriculture sector where the natural topography of the
province divides this sector between the Highveld and Lowveld Regions.
The Highveld Region in the west of the province is at
an elevation of between 4 000 and 6 000 feet above
sea level. This allows for the large-scale and commercial
production of cereals and legumes like maize, soya,
canola and sunflower.
The subtropical region of the Mpumalanga Lowveld
plays a key role in the agricultural export profile of the
province, primarily in fruit and nuts.
Mpumalanga Province is one of the world largest
producers and exporters of citrus fruit. Duty-free
exports of South African citrus to the USA under the
African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) reached a
peak of 91 000 tons in 2020 ($94.9-million) and are
expected to continue their strong annual growth as the
USA is still considered a premium market.
REGIONAL PRODUCE
Highveld
Lowveld
HIGHVELD: Summer cereals and legumes:
maize, soya, canola, sunflower.
Animal products: bovine meat, swine,
sheep and poultry.
LOWVELD: Subtropical and citrus fruits,
nuts and cane sugar.
Mpumalanga Province is the world’s largest
producer and exporter of macadamia nuts.
The province earned $207-million in exports in
2019, $76-million of this to the US. There have
been major new investments in processing
facilities in Mpumalanga.
Mpumalanga’s rich agricultural produce is
utilised by companies such as McCain, Nestlé
and PepsiCo.
9:1
Mpumalanga’s
ratio of commercial
farmers to
small-scale
farmers
KEY SECTORS FORESTRY
Forestry is a key driver for the development of Mpumalanga’s
rural economy and a major provider of job opportunities.
About 40% of SA’s sustainable forests are located in
Mpumalanga Province.
The industry comprises logging, saw-milling, wood products, wood board, pulp and paper as
well as specialised cellulose. Specialised cellulose is a sought-after natural, renewable fibre
with a wide range of uses in the textile, consumer goods, foodstuff and pharmaceutical
industries and is produced in large quantities at Sappi Ngodwana.
R9.5
billion
Amount invested
in the foresty
industry
PG Bison has recently invested R560-million in
a new front-end dryer for its particleboard plant
in Mkhondo (Piet Retief). The company is also
building a new medium-density fibreboard (MDF)
plant at its Mpumalanga plant.
SAFCOL/Komatiland is the state forestry
company with commercial and non-commercial
operations covering a land area of 187 320ha.
Sonae Arauco is a Portuguese investment. A
new entrant, local BEE company the FX Group, is
commissioning a greenfield particle board plant
in Lothair in the Gert Sibande District.
Mpumalanga has
processing
39
out of 148 in South Africa
plants
MAIN EXPORTS
PULP
PAPER
SPECIALISED CELLULOSE
SAWN LUMBER
WOOD CHIPS
WATTLE EXTRACT
MAJOR COMPANIES
SAPPI
SAFCOL
SONAE ARAUCO
PG BISON
YORK TIMBERS
FX GROUP

KEY SECTORS MINING, MINERALS AND ENERGY
Mining is the province’s largest single sector, providing employment to 5.2% of the
province’s workforce and making up 20% of gross value added by region (GVA-R).
83%
of South
Africa’s
coal
production
Coal: 83% of South Africa’s coal production, 50% of national coal reserves, third-largest
coal-exporting region in the world. Coal is the lifeblood of provincial economy, fuelling 11
Eskom power plants, which produce 80% of South Africa’s electricity. Coal is Mpumalanga’s
single largest export product, shipping mainly to India and Pakistan.
Other minerals: Gold mining takes place in Evander, Pilgrim’s Rest and Barberton. Gold is the
second-largest export from the province. Platinum and chrome ore mining are located in the Steelpoort
and Burgersfort areas in the north of the province and make up part of the Bushveld Igneous Complex.
The mining services and technology industry is an important subsector in Mpumalanga. With over a
century of commercial mining operations in the province, homegrown technologies are now exported
around the globe.
National utility Eskom will spend R3.3-billion on the revival of the Matla coal mine. Exxaro Resources
will manage the project and do the mining while major companies such as DRA, Worley, Sandvik and
WBHO will also be involved.
Other companies engaged in expansion of life-of-mine projects are Pan African Resources and
Evander (Elikhulu tailings), Exxaro Resources (Leeuwpan) and South32, which is spending about
R4.3-billion at Klipspruit.
Platinum is an important mineral for the modern economy. Two Rivers is a joint venture between
Implats (46%) and African Rainbow Minerals which is located on the southern part of the eastern
limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, 35km south-west of Burgersfort in Mpumalanga.
Lydenburg is home to the Lion ferrochrome smelter that is a joint venture between Glencore
and Merafe Resources.
KEY SECTORS GREEN ECONOMY AND JET
Mpumalanga has historically been at the heart of the South
African energy and industrial complex and is still heavily
reliant on the mining and burning of fossil fuels.
The Mpumalanga Provincial Government has been proactive in exploring opportunities
in the Green Economy and pursuing a just transition to a low-carbon economy which
secures the future and livelihoods of workers and their communities.
Achieving such a just transition would require an integration of economic opportunities
in sectors outside of energy and mining.
A Just Energy Transition (JET) to a Green Economy presents the following opportunities:
• Renewable energy: solar, biomass, natural products
• Gas and associated industries
• Sustainable smart agriculture: environmentally-friendly
agriculture and agricultural processing
• Circular Green Economy: waste recycling, water reclamation, land rehabilitation
• Soft infrastructure: reskilling and institutional capacity-building for a
carbon-neutral future
• Hard infrastructure: investment and expertise are needed in urban
planning, water and waste management
• Building technologies: greener and more energy-efficient
• Transport and logistics: greener and more energy-efficient
Mpumalanga has
11
MINERALS
COAL Waste briquettes
GOLD JEWELLERY
CHROME
PLATINUM
IRON ORE
VANADIUM
MANGANESE
GRANITE Building cladding
& tombstone
CLAY Porcelain & ceramics
Electrical insulators
50%
of South Africa’s
national coal
reserves
ESKOM POWER
plants
Specific opportunities include:
•There are plans for the decommissioning
of 11 000MW of Eskom’s coal-fired capacity
by 2030. Opportunities
are presented by repurposing land.
• The vast new fields of natural gas found off
the coast of Mozambique could have a big
impact on the Mpumalanga economy.
• A Renewable Energy Development Zone
(REDZ) is planned for eMalahleni / Witbank
where coal jobs are at risk.

KEY SECTORS MANUFACTURING
Three primary pillars of the manufacturing sector in Mpumalanga account for more than
60% of the output of the manufacturing sector, which overall makes up 15% of gross
value added, regional (GVA-R).
MAIN EXPORTS
STAINLESS STEEL
Cutlery
Catering equipment
Surgical instruments
Automotive components
STEEL White & grey goods
Pipes & tubes
Wire
PETROCHEMICALS
Plastic products
Recycling plastics
Artificial rubber products
Paint & vanish
Inks & dyes
FOOD PROCESSING
Maize meal
Machinery
Frozen & dehydrated
VEGETABLES Preserves,
pickles & condiments
Nuts
PAPER Recycling
SUGAR Confectionery
MINING Machinery
and services
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Solar and biofuel
Biomass
Fuel, petroleum and chemical products are manufactured at the Sasol Secunda plant in Secunda, Gert Sibande
District. It is one of the world’s largest synthetic fuels facilities, producing 60-million litres of liquid fuel a day.
Products produced include petroleum, paraffin, jet fuel, creosote, bitumen and waxes.
The ferro-alloy and stainless-steel industries are based in the Nkangala District. Columbus Stainless in
Middelburg is Africa’s only producer of stainless-steel flat products. Samancor Chrome (Ferrometals),
the world’s second-largest ferrochrome producer, has two plants in Mpumalanga.
Agro-processing is mainly based in the Lowveld Region and consists of manufacturing forestry products
(pulp, paper and cellulose), sugar at the Selati RCL Foods plants in Nkomazi and processing subtropical fruit
and nuts.
The province’s flourishing macadamia nut industry has a number
of large processing facilities based around the provincial capital
Mbombela. Subtropical fruits like mango, banana, papaya and citrus
are processed into juice concentrate or dried for export.
There is a geographical divide in the manufacturing sector. Fuel,
petroleum and chemical production occurs in the southern Highveld
Region clustered around Sasol’s plants.
The northern Highveld area, including Middelburg and eMalahleni
(Witbank), is home to ferro-alloy, steel and stainless-steel concerns.
Creative thinking kicked in when Highveld Steel’s troubles reached
a tipping point. The 1 000ha property in Emalahleni has been
re-purposed as a multi-purpose site for industry and commerce.
Called the Highveld Industrial Park, the project promotes a wide
range of manufacturing enterprises.
In the Lowveld, agricultural and forestry products are processed
while Sappi’s giant mill is close to the company’s forests south-west
of the provincial capital, Mbombela.
KEY SECTORS TOURISM
The importance of tourism to the economy of Mpumalanga cannot be
overstated. The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has been strongly felt.
Mpumalanga received only 340 000 international visitors in 2020, down from 1.6-million international visitors
in 2019. The key source countries were Mozambique, eSwatini, the USA, Germany, France and the UK.
Domestic tourism has steadily increased. The total tourist foreign direct spend (TTFDS) in Mpumalanga
for 2020 was R7.5-billion, down from over R21-billion in 2019. The sector accounts for 6% of gross value
added by region (GVA-R).
The announcement in 2022 by Eurowings Discover, a new division of Lufthansa, that it would start flying
three times a week to Mbombela from Frankfurt, via Windhoek, will give a certain boost to tourist numbers
.6
MILLION
Number of visitors
ANNUALLY pre-COVID-19
21billion
Rand value of tourist
spend in Mpumalanga…
before COVID-19
visiting Mpumalanga. The Kruger National Park is Mpumalanga’s most famous tourist asset and safaris and hunting
are major tourist attractions. The Manyeleti Reserve, a 23 750-hectare game reserve sharing a fenceless border
with the Kruger National Park, is operated and managed by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA).
God’s Window and the Blyde River Canyon Reserve are other provincial treasures attracting investment.
Business travel, including conferencing, adventure, heritage and cultural tourism, all hold huge growth potential
in Mpumalanga, but require investment in infrastructure and product development.
A hotel and conference centre project in Middelburg is making progress and should be completed in 2023.

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES TOURISM
Selected Strategic High Impact Projects:
BOURKE’S LUCK POTHOLES HOTEL
This natural water wonder is a major tourism attraction in the
Mpumalanga Lowveld. This project presents an investment
opportunity for a five-star hotel and a top-quality restaurant.
Feasibility study: completed
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): commenced
Model: Joint Venture (JV), Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)
Value: R100-million
BLYDE RIVER CANYON
CABLE CAR PROJECT
The Blyde River Canyon is the largest and deepest
green canyon in the world and offers a spectacular
opportunity to build a cable car transporting tourists
from the top of the canyon to the peninsula below.
Feasibility study: completed
EIA: commenced
Model: JV, BOT
Value: R500-million
GOD’S WINDOW SKY WALK
The project to build a “Sky Walk” – an income-generating
tourism attraction off the edge of the 700m God’s Window
cliffs – giving 360-degree panoramic views out and down
through a glass floor.
Feasibility study: completed
EIA: commenced
Investors: secured
Model: JV, BOT
Value: R100-million
3.7km
500+
13
Length of one of Eastgate Airport’s runways at
Hoedspruit, which doubles as an airforce base.
The other runway is 2.1km
Bird species recorded in the Kruger National Park,
including the Kori Bustard, Martial Eagle, Southern
Ground Hornbill and Lappetfaced Vulture
Nature reserves are run by the Mpumalanga
Tourism and Parks Agency and Kruger National
Park is run by SANParks

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES PRODUCE MARKET
Selected Strategic High Impact Projects: Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market
MEGA is establishing a R1.2-billion fresh produce market facility
located in Mbombela, the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce
Market (MIFPM). To date the province has invested an estimated
R540-million in the project.
Mpumalanga is one of South Africa’s most productive and important
agriculture regions. It is home to predominantly tropical and subtropical
crops and vegetables owing to its conducive climate. The tropical and
subtropical crops consist of avocado, banana, citrus, ginger, granadilla,
guava, litchi, macadamia nut, mango, papaya and pineapple.
The vegetables produced include potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins,
sweet corn, onions, sweet potatoes, beetroot, carrots, green peas,
cauliflower, cabbages and green beans.
Site: The site is in Mbombela on a 248ha plot less than 10km
from the Central Business District. It is situated within the Maputo
Development Corridor (MDC), linking Mpumalanga, Gauteng Province
and the Nkomazi Special Economic Zone with the deepwater Port of
Maputo in Mozambique.
The market: The market will give local farmers access to local,
regional and international fresh produce markets and will aid in
ensuring food security for the region.
The infrastructure of the MIFPM will attract international as well as
the large domestic food retailers as a key processing and distribution
point. It will also secure Mpumalanga’s position in the regional export
market in fresh produce.
The market will offer:
• Open trading halls for fruit and vegetables
• A meat, fish and flower market
• Complementary cold storage, ripening facilities and pallet handling
• Processing facilities
• An export hall
• Bulk-breaking facilities for retail outlets
• Links with statutory organisations such as customs, PPEBC
and EuroGap
• Transport and logistics enterprises
• Shared collation and pack house facilities for SMMEs
• Commercial services including banks and restaurants
• A food bank for NGOs
Feasibility study: completed
EIA: completed
Bulk infrastructure: completed
Top structures: underway
Model: JV, BOT
Value: R1-billion
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES NKOMAZI SEZ
Selected Strategic High Impact Projects: Nkomazi Special Economic Zone
The Nkomazi Special Economic Zone has been officially designated
and MEGA has been appointed to establish the entity.
SEZs are geographically designated areas set aside for specifically
targeted economic activities that are supported through special
tax incentives. An SEZ aims to be an economic development tool to
promote rapid economic growth by using various support measures
to attract targeted foreign and domestic investments and technology.
The main goal is to support the implementation of South Africa’s
industrial development programme.
Strategically positioned in the border town of Komatipoort,
the SEZ offers a multi-sector base of operations along the H
Maputo Development Corridor which provides exporters with
good access through Maputo Port to the export markets of
South East Africa, the Indian Ocean Rim and Far East Asia.
The Nkomazi SEZ will target investment from the
agriculture, agro-processing, nutraceuticals and fertiliser
production sectors, as having a strong focus on logistics and
trade services.
The NSEZ offers the investor a unique and incentivised
base of operations on the Maputo Development Corridor
running through the most highly industrialised and
productive regions of Southern Africa.
The Maputo Corridor is bound to develop even more as
the Maputo harbour improves its handling and scheduling
Recreation
capacity. In the event that a second rail line to Maputo to complement
the current rail link is developed, the shipment of mining products
and agricultural produce to and from the Limpopo and Mpumalanga
provinces will increase. MPUMALANGA – NKOMA
The NSEZ is set to provide One-Stop-Shop services, incentives,
innovation platform, a competitive and transparent market
environment, and timeous and efficient responses to investors’
market requirements.
Manufacturing
Convenience Retail
Accommodation
Centralised Facilities
Logistics

FOREIGN TRADE
Mpumalanga is proving to be a key player in the local
economy as well as internationally.
TOP 10 EXPORTS 2022
1. Ferro Alloys R 35 billion US$ 1.9 billion
2. Coal R 16 billion US$ 913 million
3. Stainless Steel R 9.1 billion US$ 504 million
4. Platinum R 6.9 billion US$ 385 million
5. Gold R 5.8 billion US$ 322 million
6. Macadamia Nuts R 4.1 billion US$ 229 million
7. Chrome Ore R 2.4 billion US$ 138 million
8. Manganese R 2.3 billion US$ 129 million
9. Fuel Wood R 1.5 billion US$ 85 million
10. Citrus Fruit R 576 million US$ 32 million
TOP 10 EXPORT MARKETS 2022
1. Mozambique R 21 billion US$ 1.6 billion
2. China R 9.5 billion US$ 529 million
3. United States R 8.5 billion US$ 471 million
4. Japan R 5.9 billion US$ 331 million
5. Korea R 5.5 billion US$ 308 million
6. Netherlands R 5.2 billion US$ 291 million
7. India R 3.8 billion US$ 210 million
8. eSwatini R 3.2 billion US$ 180 million
9. UAE R 3.2 billion US$ 178 million
10. Indonesia R 2.4 billion US$ 135 million

THE PERFECT LAUNCH PAD FOR AFRICA
The African Continental Free Trade Area could revolutionise African trade:
Mpumalanga is the perfect launch pad for manufacturers and exporters.
start of trading under the AfCFTA Agreement
from the beginning of 2021. Further meetings
have been held to take the process forward in
terms of details and practical measures.
The nations covered by AfCFTA have an
estimated combined GDP of $2.5-trillion
and a population of over 1.2-billion.
In terms of population, it will be the largest free
trade area in the world. The AfCFTA envisages the
Instrument of ratification deposited
Parliamentary approval received or pending
AfCFTA Agreement signed
AfCFTA Agreement not signed
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has been agreed
on by almost all African nations and holds the potential to change
the nature and size of trading on the continent in profound ways.
Mpumalanga Province, as a strategically-positioned
region with a dynamic manufacturing sector and excellent
logistics and infrastructure, provides the perfect launch
pad for investors looking to take advantage opportunities
that will be created by the AfCFTA Agreement.
The burgeoning African middle-class is a global trend that
economists are carefully watching. As more sophisticated
infrastructure is rolled out across Africa, having a base with
good connections to ports and with good air, road and rail
connectivity will be vital. Mpumalanga has all of that, and more.
An Extraordinary Summit of the AU Assembly on the AfCFTA
was held in December 2020. The Assembly approved the
gradual elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers
to trade on the continent. In terms of export-driven
manufacturing and production Mpumalanga is well
positioned to take full advantage of the economic
promise of the AfCFTA and attract investment, thereby
helping to increase income levels and reduce poverty.
Mpumalanga is served by the Maputo Development
Corridor (MDC), which is South Africa’s leading Spatial Development
Initiative (SDI), linking Mpumalanga, Gauteng Province and the
Nkomazi Special Economic Zone with the deepwater Port of
Maputo in Mozambique. This strategic location gives Mpumalanga
a particular advantage with respect to logistics and market access.
Improving and increasing intra-African trade will change the
way countries do business and include a much broader range
of countries and products into the global market. Foreign direct
investment is expected to grow rapidly, as investment opportunities
such as those on offer in Mpumalanga attract the attention of
international companies and institutions. New sectors, such as the
Green Economy which Mpumalanga is actively preparing for, will
grow exponentially on the back of a continental system of trade
with fewer barriers and more connections than ever before.

AfCFTA FAST FACTS
Africa’s exports could increase by $560-billion and some
experts predict that continental business and consumer
spending could reach $6.7-trillion by 2030.
$450
BILLION
AfCFTA could
boost regional income
by 7% or $450-billion
(Source: the World Bank)
AfCFTA could lift
30
-million
people
out of poverty, according
to the World Bank
AfCFTA
could
boost
10%
wages
by up to
* World Bank estimate
ABOUT SADC
South Africa is a member of one of Africa’s
oldest regional organisations, the 16-member
Southern African Development Community,
(SADC). This enables duty-free trade within
a growing market of more than 360-million
people. All goods shipped under SADC
Certificate of Origin receive duty-free status.
Duty-free trade
within a GROWING MARKET
of more than
360million
people

MBOMBELA HEAD OFFICE: T +27 13 492 5818
www.mega.gov.za • trade-invest@mega.gov.za