Plastic Packaging (Pty) Ltd of Namibia was named Regional Exporter of the Year at the inaugural Southern Africa Regional Exporters Awards 2021, which took place in East London, South Africa.
Technical Systems Pty Ltd from South Africa and Far East Textiles Pty Ltd from Eswatini were the first and second runners-up, respectively.
These three companies were among eight national finalists who beat out other deserving candidates to win the title of Exporter of the Year in their respective countries.
The awards, held last week under the theme ‘Celebrating the export excellence of Southern African brands’, are part of a collaboration between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC).
The Namibian Manufacturers Association stated in a joint press release issued on Thursday that this partnership with the US government has assisted Eastern Cape companies over the past three years in utilising the opportunities presented by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
This includes informing businesses about the requirements for trading with the United States.
“The event seeks to incentivise and encourage export firms from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia to explore innovative ways of improving their regional and global competitiveness,” according to the statement.
It stated that the awards, which focused on exports to the US and South African markets, also awarded three supplementary business categories that provide critical support to these firms in achieving export excellence despite market access challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
It went on to say that the nominations were judged by a panel of industry leaders from across the region, representing both the private and public sectors, who awarded the winners and runners-up solely on the basis of excellence in the export industry.
“They judged the nominations in the areas of sustainable export growth, competitive advantage, value and contribution to the exporting sector, future expansion plans, innovation, commitment to international business, and key positive steps the business has taken toward sustainable trade,” according to the statement.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
