South Africa and Nigeria must revitalise Africa's economy, director
general of the Department of Trade and Industry told the South
Africa-Nigeria Business Forum in Johannesburg on Monday.

"We are the two leading economies on the continent and we have the
responsibility to provide leadership to revitalise Africa's economy,"
Tshediso Matona said.
Trade and investment between the two countries was growing at a
phenomenal rate, "but we've only just started," Matona added.
He told the forum that the trade relationship, however, "was not
optimal".
"SA's imports from Nigeria are still dominated by oil -- we believe
there are opportunities to invest in Nigeria to help that economy
diversify and therefore trade with us on a broader basis."
Unbalanced trade, he said, was a general phenomenon on the African
continent -- and this should be changed.
Matona added that Nigeria should look at present trade barriers and
high levels of tariffs.
"They do impede trade," he said.
He noted that South Africa used to have high levels of tariffs "but
we've been lowering them and the results speak for themselves".
Nigerian trade policy was going in the right directions, but there
were areas "where it could be opened up".
Matona said that South African business had been growing their
presence in Nigeria and that it would be satisfying to see a larger
Nigerian presence in the SA economy.
"Sustainability must surely be based on reciprocity," he said.
The two-day forum's purpose was to strengthen economic ties and
co-operation between the two countries.
The number of South African companies present in Nigeria now stood
at over 100.

Zim farmers turn to Nigeria

 Zimbabwean farmers have turned to Nigeria to continue farming on the
African continent, John Michael Abul, the deputy governor of Nigeria's
Nasarawa state said on Monday.
"Our state alone has 15 Zimbabwean farmers who have relocated," he
told the South Africa-Nigeria Business Forum in Johannesburg.
Nasarawa state had vast arable land for commercial farming, fishery
development, wildlife and forestry conservation, he added.
Agriculture was the mainstay of the state's people -- with over 70
percent of the population involved in subsistence farming.
Areas for investment in the agricultural sector included sugar cane
plantations, sugar refineries, flour mills and rice processing.
Nasarawa state was located in the middle belt zone of Nigeria.
Other areas for investment included minerals and tourism, Abdul
said.

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