South African Business 2022

Building the

Building the South African Nation Brand The Brand South South Africa Africa Acting of today Chief is definitely Marketing not Officer the same Mpumi country Mabuza administration outlines the can be achieved, i strategic that steps emerged being from taken a tumultuous to position history the only country 25 years in the ago region in viewed and the against world. the background 1994. During 2019, the country’s sixth democratically elected of the broader competitive and Brand administration South Africa took is taking office, active under steps the leadership economic of infrastructure. President South comparative Africa is also one advantages of the up its Cyril Ramaphosa. to take a critical look at the current state highest-ranking developing proverbial economies and sleeve. surpasses As the of country the country completes and propose its first quarter possible century countries of democracy, such as Hungary, the Italy, Brazil South and Africa Thailand. is, for example solutions on how we can successfully Diverse sectors: South Africa has the most strategic objectives of the sixth administration were made clear during one of the most transparen navigate our way to a better tomorrow in terms of dynamic economy on the continent, with key his positively first State positioning of the Nation the Nation Address Brand. (SONA) of the productive new administration sectors ranging state from governance finance, mining, systems in (20 June We 2019). recently In hosted this SONA, the Nation the President Brand Forum stated that, manufacturing, “As we enter agriculture, this the pharmaceuticals world. Ranking and second ou new under administration, the theme #BelieveinSA. we will focus Brand on South seven Africa priorities: healthcare, transport and logistics, of 102 communications countries in the Open • sought Economic to create transformation a platform that and kind job of creation forward and information technology Budget Index, and also ranking thinking. It also aimed to highlight the objectives Ease of doing business: According to the World • Education, skills and health as first out of 141 countries fo of the Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, in order Bank, it costs just R175 to start a business in South • to Consolidating reassure South Africa the social and the wage world through that we are reliable Africa, and which quality is cheaper basic than Budget 90% of the Transparency, rest of the in the a services country committed to rebuilding and creating a world. Reserving a company World name Economic and registering Forum Globa • better Spatial country integration, for all. human settlements and local with government the Companies and Competitiveness Intellectual Property Index (WEF GCI) • Social South cohesion Africans have and proven safe communities themselves as a very Commission (CIPC) can cost In terms less than of its R200. financial South systems it is • resilient A capable, nation. ethical We pride and ourselves developmental on our ability state Africa is ranked 10th for its evident start-up that affordability, the country is a world to overcome adversity. Brand South Africa has to with a total cost relative to the monthly average • A better Africa and world.” leader in that it ranks 19th in the remind the world, and sometimes South Africans, income of 3%. Most neighbouring countries have that The we South continue Africa to be a of nation the inspiring sixth administration new ways. considerably is a country higher with cost-to-income Finance percentages. pillar of the WEF GCI. Bu much to offer its citizens, and the world. Objectives set by the current it does not stop there. South Africa’s unique selling points Covid-19 collaboration Economic prowess: South Africa is the economic We have highlighted the cross-sectoral collaboration SOUTH powerhouse AFRICAN of the BUSINESS African continent, 2020 with a Gross that 4 has taken place with a broad spectrum of Domestic Product (GDP) of R1.9-trillion (US3bn) stakeholders who have found innovative solutions – four times that of its Southern African neighbours to the health, economic and social challenges and comprising 30% of the entire GDP of Africa. caused by the pandemic. South Africa has strong entrepreneurial and dynamic South Africa has reiterated the importance of investment environment due to highly developed equitable access to vaccines which will ensure that SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2022 4

f , t t r l . t we end the pandemic sooner and then we can build-back-better. We also firmly believe that our call for the World Trade Organisation to waive intellectual property rights tied to Covid-19 vaccines would be the correct decision for humanity, and if implemented it would allow more pharmaceutical companies, including our own, to manufacture life-saving vaccines. Encouraging active citizenship and Nation Brand Advocacy Play Your Part was in its 10th year in 2021 and continues to encourage all South Africans to be active citizens, placing it upon themselves to be the change that they want to see and impact those around them to do the same. Play Your Part has been successful in highlighting what ordinary South Africans are doing to change the social and material conditions of the most vulnerable sections of South African society. The most impactful projects through the PYP campaign are those related to education and gender-based violence. PYP has become an important slogan, an essential part of South African society, where we are all tasked with contributing positively in order to create the country that we all deserve. Equally important is the Global South Africans programme which aims to build Nation Brand advocacy among South Africans in the diaspora. South African living abroad are encouraged to be patriotic and fly the South African flag high wherever they are. Brand South Africa’s role is to create opportunities and platforms for Global South Africans to connect and also empower them with messages and information about key issues in the country. Promoting South Africa in the region and beyond Regional forums such as SADC and the AU are hugely important for South Africa in that they continue to highlight the role we play as a key player, especially in terms of regional governance, peace and security. Health and climate diplomacy are proving to be key pillars of foreign policy for many states. Through our TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver request to the World Trade Organization, South Africa showed its commitment to ensuring equitable access to vaccines for African countries. South Africa is a country brand that is synonymous with championing causes that seek to improve the lives of all Africans. Mpumi Mabuza, Brand SA Acting Chief Marketing Officer The BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have identified the need to strengthen cooperation among themselves to support economic recovery, ensure financial stability and guard against future uncertainties, such as those brought about by Covid-19. The strengthening of international cooperation and establishing a crossborder regulatory mechanism for further improving the investment environment and enhancing capital flows is the next goal for BRICS countries. Some notable outcomes are the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement which have marked significant progress in expanding the tangible financial cooperation among BRICS nations. The fact that the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is South African is a great selling point for the country and Brand South Africa. We have a well-established relationship with the Secretariat and we aim to collaborate on a number of strategic projects that will seek to better educate South Africans and the rest of the continent on what opportunities are available through the AfCFTA. We are also keen to bring the Nation Brand message to the continent by proposing that African nations adopt Nation Brand strategies with the aim of creating carefully curated narratives that seek to position them better as key destinations for trade and investment under the AfCFTA. We believe that our experience as the oldest Nation Brand agency in Africa will be of great benefit to our brothers and sisters on the continent. ■