Some interesting suggestions for increasing South Africa’s trade with the United States were raised during a FairPlay trade webinar.
The webinar, hosted by FairPlay founder Francois Baird, focused on the future of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and its benefits for African countries. It also branched out into President Trump’s trade and tariff policies, and how things might change after 2028.
Two international experts said that, in addition to direct contacts with the US government, there were ways that South Africa could make its case in the US capital and in various US states.
South Africa should make more use of its embassy in Washington to showcase South African goods, said Prof Diana Furchtgott-Roth an adjunct economics professor at both the George Washington University in Washington DC and University of the Free State in Bloemfontein.
“Your embassy can be used as a tool of trade promotion, as other embassies are,” she said.
“Have a big party where you display your delicious chicken, your wonderful citrus.”
Trade expert Andrew Hale said the South African government, and individual South African industries, should consider hiring lobbyists to promote their issues to the US government, and to increase trade with some of the 50 US states.
Hale said that, while trade was regulated at a US government level, countries were increasingly establishing offices in individual US states, engaging in bilateral negotiations with them and establishing memorandums of understanding. This could end up with the state encouraging the US government to have more harmonious relations with that country.
Prof Diana Furchtgott-Roth added South Africa should not only seek to sell to US states, but it should also see what those states wanted to sell to South Africa. This could include minerals, manufactured products or medical equipment. A trade relationship, she said, “goes two ways”.
Food for thought for Roelf Meyer, South Africa’s new ambassador to Washington. And perhaps two additions to his guest list?
