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DSLBD Leads Trade Mission to South Africa

Thursday, June 7, 2012
ExportDC Mission Connects DC Firms to South African Market Opportunities

Washington, DC—The DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) is leading a business trade mission to promote DC service sector exports to South Africa.  The mission will increase business opportunities for DC businesses and promote related business activities in the District and South Africa.

"DSLBD is committed to linking DC's small and local businesses with global business opportunities in real-time," said DSLBD Director Harold Pettigrew. "This trade mission deepens the relationship between the District of Columbia and South Africa and will produce real opportunities for D.C. businesses."

The June 11–15 trade mission will target the cities of Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Capetown, and includes one-on-one meetings with potential export partners as well as sessions with major public commercial agencies in both cities. South Africa's economy comprises 31% of the total sub-Saharan gross domestic product, making it an excellent gateway for entering the rest of the African market. The focus of this mission is to promote DC service exports in the educational, finance, construction, sustainability, and information technology sectors. The trade mission provides the first economic development activity proposed by the Tshwane Sister City Agreement renewed by Mayor Gray in July 2011. The firms participating in the South Africa trade mission are All State Floors, Delphos International, Pensarus, Sunshine Construction, Sustainable Communities Development Company, and Triune Solutions.

The South Africa trade mission is part of DSLBD's ExportDC initiative, the District of Columbia's first major export promotion and development initiative. Funded in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through a State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) grant, the goal of ExportDC is to increase the number of D.C. small businesses that export, grow the dollar value of exports from District businesses, and coordinate trade missions for qualified District-based firms.

To learn more about ExportDC, please visit http://dslbd.dc.gov/service/exportdc. To view photos from the South Africa pre-mission briefing session, please visit https://www.facebook.com/smallbizdc. To learn more about DSLBD, please visit http://dslbd.dc.gov, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SmallBizDC, or check out our photostream at http://flickr.com/photos/bizDC.

About the District of Columbia Department of Small and Local Business Development

The District of Columbia Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) fosters the economic growth, development, and retention of District of Columbia based businesses, and promotes economic development throughout the District's commercial corridors. For more information on all of DSLBD's services, go to http://dslbd.dc.gov or contact us at [email protected].

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