South Africa

With a slowdown in Europe and North America, which have provided the mainstay of South Africa’s inbound holidaymakers, the tourism sector is now looking to emerging African markets for new sources of leisure and business travellers.

South Africa is planning a major overhaul of its higher education system, with a greater emphasis given to vocational training as a means to bridge the skills gap in the national economy. The government aims to achieve a six-fold increase in the number of places available at colleges by 2030, although the financial and human resources needed for such an effort are sizeable.

Following the arrival of global giant Walmart, 2011 will no doubt prove to be a game changing year for the retail market in South Africa. While competition is set to intensify dramatically as a result, South African retailers are nonetheless benefitting from a robust domestic market, thanks in part to new revenue opportunities through private labelling, online commerce and loyalty schemes.

South Africa is looking to step up investment in its agriculture sector, in a bid to not only address unemployment and rural poverty but also to improve food security.

Having posted mixed results in 2011, South Africa’s economy was buoyed by rising demand for commodities and solid growth at home, while continued high unemployment, concerns over the European debt crisis and a slowdown in many of the country’s main trading markets saw a pessimistic close to the year.

The announcement in December that direct flights will soon link Beijing and Johannesburg was a fitting end to a year that has seen South Africa-China trade ties rise past expectations.