The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has recorded a 3,6% increase in the number of Certificates of Origin (COO) issued to local exporters for the January to November 2022 period compared to the same period last year, says Chamber CEO, Denise van Huyssteen.
This represents a total of 13 923 certificates issued this year compared to the previous year’s 13 429, with leather and footwear, tyres and rubber, hides and skins, including manufacturing being the sectors that contributed to the increase.
“Taking into account the challenging economic conditions businesses are operating under, the slight surge shows the resilience and gradual improvement of the local exports sector post the Covid-19 disruptions. This augurs well for the region as it shows business confidence in some areas of the economy, especially with the currently unacceptably high unemployment rate of 33, 6% for Nelson Mandela Bay. It also provides an indication that businesses in the export trade could, in the long run, be able to cushion some jobs as they increase production volumes, in line with global supply chain improvements and changing sourcing patterns for goods, due to the knock-on impact of the war in Ukraine,” she says. “However in tandem with this, it is vital that there are significant improvements in the operating environment takes place, particularly with regards to the basics such as ensuring the reliability of electricity and water supply.”
A certificate of origin is an important international trade document that certifies that goods in a particular export shipment are wholly obtained, produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country. The document also serves as a declaration by the exporter and for almost 155 years, it has remained as one of the critical services offered by the Chamber.
