Economic diplomacy gains importance as African businesses seek new markets

Business tourism brings embassies, businesses, buyers and investors together to advance cross-border trade

August 2026 – As African businesses look beyond their domestic markets for new buyers, investors and commercial opportunities, economic diplomacy is playing an increasingly important role in helping them navigate unfamiliar markets and build relationships across borders.

Business events provide a practical platform for these connections by bringing embassies, businesses, buyers, investors and policymakers together in one place. This will be a central focus of the 3rd Annual Embassies Business Fair & Conference, taking place from 8 to 9 September 2026 at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria.

High Commissions and trade representatives can support businesses of all sizes by helping them understand different markets, trade requirements and commercial environments, while facilitating connections with potential partners across borders.

This is particularly relevant as African countries seek to expand intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Governments can establish trade frameworks and bilateral agreements, but the private sector ultimately turns these into economic activity by producing, buying, selling, investing and distributing goods and services across borders.

Sihle Dube, Founder and Managing Director of the Embassies Business Fair & Conference, emphasizes that helping African businesses better understand how economic diplomacy can support market access is central to the event.

“Many African businesses have products and services with the potential to reach wider markets, but access remains a challenge. Economic diplomacy can help connect businesses with the buyers, investors and networks needed to turn market opportunities into sustainable growth and jobs.”

Through buyer engagements, investor discussions and business pitching, the 2026 conference aims to connect businesses with more than 80 local and international buyers, attract over 60 investors and create more than 25 pitching opportunities for export-ready products, while opening pathways into over 30 global markets.

For established businesses and SMMEs/MSMEs, access to a new market can have an impact beyond a single transaction. A manufacturer that secures a substantial order, for example, may need to increase production, source additional goods and services, strengthen its logistics, secure investment and employ more people. One trade opportunity can therefore create value across a much wider economic chain.

Business events also generate more immediate economic activity across accommodation, transport, hospitality, venues, retail and local suppliers. Their longer-term value, however, can lie in the commercial relationships created between businesses, buyers and investors.

Taking place during Tourism Month and Heritage Month, the conference comes at a time when South Africa’s business-events sector continues to make a measurable contribution to the economy.

In February 2026, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille announced that South Africa had secured 52 bids for international and regional business events to be hosted between 2025 and 2030. These events are expected to attract more than 33,000 delegates and contribute nearly R1 billion to the economy.

According to Crezelda Venter, Acting CEO at the Gauteng Tourism Authority, the value of business events should also be considered in terms of their wider impact on local enterprises and communities.

“When tourists visit Gauteng’s townships, they are not just experiencing authentic culture, they are investing in local dreams, supporting small businesses and changing lives. Township tourism is where economic inclusion meets cultural excellence, creating opportunities that leave a lasting impact long after visitors return home. It is about transforming lives”.

Tourism Month and Heritage Month also draw attention to the wider range of businesses and communities participating in the visitor economy. Beyond accommodation and attractions, tourism generates demand across food, retail, fashion, the creative industries, locally produced goods and other services. This creates opportunities for South African entrepreneurs and producers to reach local and international visitors and, potentially, wider markets.

Held under the theme “Direct Business Exchange Amongst Embassies: Meet Suppliers, Manufacturers and Distributors – The Future Global Economic Impact while Advocating for the AfCFTA Agenda,” the conference will focus on the relationship between economic diplomacy, market access, trade and investment.

Ultimately, the value of business tourism is not measured only by what happens while delegates are in a destination, but also by what follows. A meeting can lead to an order, an order can create demand for investment and greater production capacity, and business growth can create further opportunities for suppliers, workers and communities locally and across borders.

For more information and to register as an exhibitor, buyer, delegate or investor:Embassies Business Fair & Conference registration

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