Canadian High Commission Trade Office in South Africa
Trade between Canadian Businesses and South Africa are promoted through the Canadian High Commission Trade Office in South Africa's Johannesburg. Canada's trade office in South Africa forms a constituent of the Canadian Trade Commissioner Services offices network throughout the world. The objective of the trade offices is to assist Canadian business that wish to go international.
The Canadian trade and investment team based in the city of Johannesburg provides support for Canadian companies that are aiming at South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland or Mauritius as target markets for services, products and technologies. Another function of the Canadian High Commission Trade Office is to assist local contacts who are interested in doing business with Canadians. There are certain limitations when it comes to supporting Canadian international trade with Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Mauritius as the office is geographically located in South Africa. To overcome this they work along with Honorary Consuls and service providers in these localities.
The Canadian High Commission Trade Office in South Africa provides six core services which we will discuss. The first service is “Market Prospect”. This vital service assists interested companies in assessing the market potential of a region. Included in this service is advice on how to go about doing business in the South African market, information on barriers, certifications and regulation as well as providing notification on up coming trade missions, trade fairs, seminars, conferences etc. The second service is “Key Contacts Search”. The Canadian Trade Office will supply companies with lists of qualified contacts in the South African markets to assist you in the implementation of your market strategy. Contacts include agents, buyers, importers, partners, distributors, accountants, associations, lawyers, financial institutions, consultants, government officials, technology sources and so forth. Another service offered by the trade office is “Local Company Information”. This great service provides businesses with information on companies or organizations in South Africa in which they have taken a particular interest. The “Visit Information” service ensures that you have all the information necessary on when to visit South Africa and the organization of your trip with local hotels, interpreters, transportation and business services. The Canadian Trade Office also provides a “Face-to-face Briefing” service. By means of this service company representatives are put in contact with one of the trade offices' personnel with whom you can arrange a personal meeting to discuss market developments and your businesses future needs. The sixth service is “Troubleshooting”. This service is available to those with urgent needs such as customs clearance, contract bidding, insurance coverage, insurance claims, unfair business treatment and so forth.The High Commission of Canada Trade Office in South Africa is located in Rosebank, Johannesburg. They can be reached on the following telephone number: +27 (11) 442 3130 or on email at jobrg