Delegates from the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector will form an important part of the Department of Trade and Industry's investment promotion mission to the US later this month.
The delegation will depart on 17 March and visit New York, Detroit, Chicago and Dallas, before returning on 24 March.
Sadiq Jaffer, the DTI's chief director of investment promotion and facilitation, said at a pre-departure briefing session yesterday that this would be the first time that trade and industry minister Mandisi Mpahlwa would lead such a delegation.
"The minister will join us in America to add strength to our promotion of our BPO, ICT, biotechnology, automotive and financial services sectors," he said. "We have specifically chosen these sectors because we believe that we can get the quickest bites from US businesses on their offerings."
The DTI has high hopes for the BPO delegation, according to the department's strategic competitiveness unit chief director, Raymond Ngcobo.
"We, as the DTI, are very excited about this opportunity," he said. "The services sector in particular is in the best position to support gaps in the US market. We are pulling out all the stops to ensure BPO companies on this mission will not return empty handed."
Ngcobo also referred to measures aimed at supporting the BPO sector, encouraging companies to speak to the department about these opportunities.
Financial and non-financial support
"We are not talking about investment incentives or cash grants. We are looking to provide both financial and non-financial support to this sector," he said.
Brian Soldaat, deputy manager of the DTI's investment promotion and facilitation unit, added that the DTI would use its influence to help businesses access targeted US companies.
"If there is a particular company that you would like to meet with, the DTI will try to do as much as possible to set up that meeting for you," he said.
The ministry has also organised a seminar on outsourcing to SA, to take place at New York's Harvard Club on the first day of the mission. Speakers at the event will include the minister; Ngcobo, Fikile Magubane, SA's consul general for the US, and Mfanu Mfayela, CEO of Business Processing Enabling SA - the old SACCOM.
These will be followed by business presentations from Telkom executive product manager John Joseph; IBM business outsourcing executive Jason Ward; Direct Channel CEO Suleman Shaik; and Business Connexion director Sydney Ramutla.
Other companies from the BPO sector - including Calling the Cape, Dialogue, KZNonSOURCE, the State IT Agency, SA Call Centre Solutions, Contact in Gauteng, Total Relationship Management, Inforcomm, Digital IQ, IT Consortium and Fastcomm - will be provided with opportunities for private meetings with potential US customers.
Most of the delegation would then travel to Dallas for Gartner's outsourcing summit, said Soldaat.
"We have secured a stand at the Gartner summit and companies are welcome to submit their materials to us for dissemination from this stand," he said.
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