KUGOMPO CITY- The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) has facilitated more than R664 Mllion in exports, nearly doubling its R350 Million target for the 2025/26 financial year, as the province intensifies efforts to push locally produced goods into African and international markets.
The export milestone was revealed during the 7th Eastern Cape Export Symposium and Exhibition, held at the East London International Convention Centre in KuGompo City from 19th to 20th August, where more than 400 business leaders, exporters, investors, policymakers and international partners gathered to discuss how to turn the province’s production capacity into tangible export opportunities.
The symposium, hosted by the ECDC alongside the Continental Energy Infrastructure and Investment Forum, placed infrastructure, energy, market access and strategic partnerships at the centre of the province’s export ambitions.
ECDC board chairperson Vuyani Jarana said the corporation’s export performance demonstrated the potential that existed among Eastern Cape businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.
Jarana said the symposium was intended to bridge the gap between local producers and international markets by helping businesses understand foreign-market regulations, product requirements and other barriers to exporting.
The event brought together representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, the Southern African Development Community, the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, the European Union and the British High Commission.
About 60 local businesses showcased products at the exhibition, while a Hosted Buyer Programme, business-to-business matchmaking sessions and sector workshops were designed to turn engagements into commercial opportunities.
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane said the province needed to move beyond exporting raw materials and focus increasingly on processing, manufacturing, packaging and beneficiation.
He said the province’s export strategy should also reduce its dependence on a limited number of markets by using opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area to expand the market for Eastern Cape products across the continent.
“We’re creating a platform where people are able to interact, make deals and trade between themselves and also interact with their potential international markets,” Mabuyane said.
The premier said job creation remained at the centre of the province’s economic development plans, particularly as the automotive industry faced mounting challenges.
“Our people must actually get jobs. We’re going to develop our province, we’re going to diversify our economy with all the challenges that we are experiencing in the auto sector,” he said.
Mabuyane also highlighted agriculture as an area with significant growth potential, particularly as more young entrepreneurs enter the sector as owners of brands and products rather than simply producers.
The symposium showcased the province’s existing industrial infrastructure, including its three commercial ports; the Port of Gqeberha, Port of Ngqura and Port of KuGompo City as well as the Coega Special Economic Zone and the East London Industrial Development Zone.
Organisers said these assets provide the Eastern Cape with a foundation from which to expand its manufacturing and export footprint.The programme also included discussions involving universities, industry and policymakers on how the province could convert its natural and industrial advantages into greater competitiveness.
The province recorded R76 Billion in exports in 2024, according to information presented at the symposium.For the ECDC, however, the challenge now is to ensure that export facilitation translates into sustained contracts, new markets and jobs.
The corporation’s export target performance comes as the Eastern Cape seeks to strengthen export readiness among micro, small and medium enterprises across agriculture, manufacturing and services.
The symposium also forms part of a broader programme that includes outbound trade missions, through which sector-focused businesses are supported to participate in international exhibitions and pursue opportunities beyond South Africa.With its ports, industrial zones, agricultural base and growing network of international partners, the Eastern Cape is positioning itself to shift from being a producer of goods to a more competitive player on continental and global supply chains.
The R664 Million export milestone may therefore be more than a performance figure it is a test of whether the province can turn its growing export ambition into factories producing at scale, businesses signing international contracts and, ultimately, more jobs for Eastern Cape residents.
Photographs: ECDC
Siphosethu Rexe
21 August 2026
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