JOHANNESBURG, September 28. /Dunyo IA/.  First Uzbek-South African Business Forum, aimed at further expanding trade and economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and the Republic of South Africa, was held in Johannesburg, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Event was organized with the assistance of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition of South Africa, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Minara Chamber of Commerce.

Event was attended by representatives of government structures and companies operating in such priority sectors as the mining industry, energy and petrochemicals, textile industry, agriculture, information technologies, agro-industrial and food sectors.

During the forum, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the Republic of South Africa, Dr Ashraf Khodjaev; Acting Deputy Director of the Investment Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Roksana Nesor; Head of Invest South Africa (InvestSA) at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition Yunus Hoosen and Chief Executive Officer of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) Alan Mukoki as well as other officials and representatives of business circles delivered speeches.

Participants were presented with information on the economic potential of Uzbekistan, the results of large-scale reforms being implemented in the country, investment opportunities, and export potential.

Foreign partners were also presented with opportunities for increasing the volume of mutual trade between Uzbekistan and South Africa, entering new markets, implementing joint projects, and establishing direct business contacts between representatives of the private sector.

Within the framework of the presentations, particular attention was paid to Uzbekistan's capabilities in the digital economy and information technologies. In particular, participants received information on the activities of “IT Park Uzbekistan”, conditions created for its residents, as well as the country's potential as a regional IT hub.

Within the framework of the forum, government agencies, representatives of business circles, and private companies of the two countries discussed promising areas of mutually beneficial cooperation. The parties exchanged views on intensifying trade and economic relations, establishing a regular dialogue between entrepreneurs, as well as promoting investment and export projects.

Following the forum, a number of initiatives aimed at giving practical substance to business ties between Uzbekistan and South Africa were put forward. In particular, it is planned to organize a visit of a South African business mission to Uzbekistan by the end of this year.

Furthermore, the initiative to hold a special business forum in Tashkent in 2027 with the participation of women entrepreneurs from Uzbekistan and South Africa, to maintain a regular dialogue between the business circles of the two countries, as well as to conduct the Uzbek-South African Business Forum on an annual basis was supported.

Within the framework of the event, bilateral meetings were also held with representatives of such companies as “Sasol”, “DepiJet”, “Scaw Metals Group”, “Dentons South Africa”, “Sobek Group”, “Green Energy Worldwide”, “FZB Textiles”, “Fehz Holding” and “AMC Mining”. During the negotiations, opportunities for cooperation in specific sectors, the implementation of investment projects, and the expansion of mutual trade were discussed.

First Uzbek-South African Business Forum created an important platform for a direct dialogue between representatives of the business circles of the two countries. The initiatives put forward during the event and the identified promising areas of cooperation are intended to contribute to expanding Uzbekistan's economic presence in African markets, diversifying export geography and bringing trade and investment interaction with the Republic of South Africa to a new level.