Nissan’s journey: A symbol of Africa’s trade potential and industrial growth

The picture we run on page 8 today is more than one of a bakkie posing against the background of the monuments of the ancient history of Egypt, it is a powerful symbol of the potential of trade to break down barriers on our continent.

The Nissan Navara was built at the company’s factory outside Pretoria and is going to be sold in Egypt and elsewhere in Africa, thanks to the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Nissan Africa president Jordi Villa made an interesting observation at the end of the company’s Daring Africa expedition: “We are committed to Africa.

It isn’t the biggest market in the world at the moment, but it is the one with the greatest potential.”

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The Japanese multinational group has plants in South Africa, Egypt and Ghana and is an example of the potential of Africa to become an industrial force in the future.

In this country, makers like Nissan, Toyota, Ford and BMW’s factories are churning out vehicles for export, creating vital jobs and earning significant foreign exchange for our country.

Where business leads, society should really follow.

It’s time we in South Africa stopped looking down on the rest of Africa and realised that is where our future lies.

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