AS local production caught up, South African manufacturers exported hand sanitizers worth R1.66 billion (0.11 billion U.S. dollars) to 30 African countries in June-November, said a top trade official on Monday.
Destinations of the sanitizers included Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique and Ghana, Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel said, calling the export a sign of strengthened trade ties between local and foreign manufacturers.
“At the start of the pandemic, South Africa faced a shortage of hand sanitizers and industry worked with the government to expand local production,” he said. “As soon as sufficient capacity was built up for local use, the International Trade Administration Commission issued permits to local companies to export products to other African countries.”
Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global supply chains, the minister said it encouraged local production and innovation.
“South Africa has the continent’s largest diversified industrial base and was able to use local know-how to roll out on scale the production of critical personal protective equipment,” Patel said.
As the African Continental Free Trade Agreement is scheduled to come into effect next year, it will further boost manufacture and trade in Africa, Patel said.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent have surpassed 2.26 million, said the Ethiopia-based Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday.
(SOURCE: CGTNAFRICA)
