By Ron Chen, Bureau Chief, Asia and Celestine Okorie, Burea Chief, Southern Africa

One of the three chambers operating under Dubai Chambers, Dubai International Chamber (DIC)Wednesday  marked the official inauguration of its new international representative office in Johannesburg. The opening further strengthens Dubai’s growing trade links with Africa and is aimed at boosting the level of bilateral investments between Dubai and South Africa.

The office will focus on providing comprehensive support to the South African business community and building strong relationships with key public and private sector stakeholders, as well as delivering on-ground assistance to South African companies seeking to enter Dubai and expand internationally through the emirate.

President & CEO of Dubai Chambers, Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah said: “In line with our strategic priorities and the emirate’s foreign trade plan, we are anticipating further growth in Dubai’s non-oil trade with South Africa and other key African markets, together with increased strategic investments from businesses on both sides.”

According to Dubai Customs statistics, non-oil trade between South Africa and Dubai achieved year-on-year growth of 11.5 per cent during 2022 to reach a total of AED22.3 billion. The number of South African companies registered with Dubai Chamber of Commerce stood at 777 by the end of 2022, representing growth of 77 per cent since 2016.

The new office comes as part of the ‘Dubai Global’ initiative, which was launched last year to establish 50 representative offices for Dubai across five continents by 2030. The opening further consolidates DIC’s growing presence in Africa following the launch of offices in Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Ghana.

The new office in Johannesburg will seek to strengthen the commercial relationship between the UAE and South Africa by capitalising on promising trade and investment opportunities across key sectors including precious stones and metals, agriculture, logistics, and mining.