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About
us
Exports represent a key driving force
in the growth of all national economies. In our global history
a few countries (such as Romania) have tried to cut themselves
off from the global trade environment but without much success.
The impact of global trade on our day to day lives can be
measured by considering the products from around the world
that we use every single day, such as our watches, sunglasses,
clothes, motor cars, TVs, food products, CDs, computers,
etc. Without exports and imports - namely trade - these products
would not exist and we would surely be poorer for it.
In the case of South Africa, our country has
always depended heavily on international trade. Indeed, we
are considered to have a rather open economy in which imports
and exports together represent a significant portion of our
gross domestic product. Government has set a goal for itself
of economic growth of 6% or more. A recent headline in the
newspaper argues that this goal is achievable, but only with
a quantum leap in exports. Growing our export base and improving
our export capabilities is therefore nothing less than a
national priority. This is the goal of ExportHelp!
CountryHelp is an online export research portal
- a virtual country helpdesk - that we hope exporters will
use to achieve higher levels of exports. The ultimate success
of CountryHelp will depend on whether our target audience
- exporters and the export support community - find the information
useful and and see themselves part of this online community.
We invite you to share in this portal. Use
the information, pass it on, tell others, add to our knowledge,
share your experiences with us and become part of the South
African international trade community.
Welcome onboard!
Cornelius Bothma
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