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Paula Gabriela Freitas
For the second time in two years the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was welcomed to Minnesota by the Midwestern business community at a SADC Trade and Investment Forum held in St. Paul Minnesota on April 11and 12. This year's forum entitled Doing Business with SADC, brought together business leaders from the Midwest region with a delegation of SADC representatives from Washington, D.C. and Southern Africa.
April's Forum was a follow-up to the highly successful 1998 SADC Conference held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the first gathering of its kind in North America to feature the potential of the SADC region. Both meetings were facilitated by South Africa Partners, in cooperation with the SADC Ambassadors based in Washington, DC.
Since the 1998 conference, many Midwestern business ventures have found the opportunity to increase their level of activity in Africa. In 1999, ADC Telecommunications generated $20 million in communications equipment and software sales to African companies and looks to continue its growth in the coming year. Radisson Development Worldwide has signed several contracts since the 1998 conference, opening its first hotel in South Africa earlier this year. It intends to triple its properties in the SADC region by 2005.
This year's SADC Forum sought to build on these success stories, providing more detailed information about the process of doing business in Southern Africa. Present at the forum were Midwestern businesses already operating in the SADC region and others that hope to expand their operations. Featured speakers included: Mr. L.D. DeSimone, Chairman & CEO of 3M; Mr. Jory Steinman, Managing Director for International Sales for ADC; Mr. William George Chairman & CEO of Medtronic; Mr. Mark Pabst, President of International Underwriting for the St. Paul Companies; and T. Peter Blyth, President of Radisson Development Worldwide. Time was also provided for participants to hear from US government agencies about the services and resources they provide to the US entrepreneur doing business in the SADC region. Representatives of the Export-Import Bank, US Trade and Development Agency and the US Department of Commerce provided participants with a comprehensive overview of how their agencies can help companies seeking to expand into the SADC region.
Governor Jesse Ventura, who had planned to open the Forum, addressed the participants via videotape when a last minute change of plans meant he had to be in Washington, DC. and Mayor Norm Coleman of St. Paul spoke at the opening banquet dinner. Both stressed the increased focus on world trade and the need for Midwest to explore the potential of Southern Africa.
SADC Trade and Investment Forum Sponsors:
3M
Medtronic
St. Paul Companies
ADC Telecommunications
Carlson Companies
Northwest Airlines
Norwest Bank MN
Cooperating Agencies:
Illinois Trade Office/Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs
International Leadership Institute
International Trade Association of Greater Chicago
International Trade Center/Bradley University
Iowa Department of Economic Development/Division of International Trade
Kansas Department of Commerce & Housing
Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development/Minnesota Trade Office
Minnesota International Center
SADC Members:
Angola
Botswana
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lesotho
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Seychelles
South Africa
Swaziland
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
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