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by Pina Costa
Italian enterprises can seize many opportunities in this Country, which will host 2010 FIFA World Cup - Nicolina di Santolo is the first woman President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of South Africa in its 25-year-old history
When she arrived in South Africa, she was 7 years old and didn't know neither the Country nor the English language, so she spent four years in a convent. Nicolina di Santolo has come quite a long way since then: after a brilliant career as a manager of an important company, thanks to her strong personality, intelligence and initiative she became a successful entrepreneur, and now she is the first woman President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of South Africa. Also her staff is made up of women: Mariagrazia Biancospino, executive director, and Monika Matika, project manager. We have spoken with her about her new important appointment, and especially about how her Chamber can help Italian companies to invest in this market.
At the end of April, the Chamber of Johannesburg hosted the meeting of the Italian Chambers of Commerce of Asia and of the Republic of South Africa. What can you tell us about this?
The Italian investments in Asia and in South Africa were the main theme of the convention that took place in Johannesburg, which gathered the Italian Chambers of Commerce of China, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, South Africa and Thailand, plus the representatives from the entrepreneurial and institutional Italian and South African community. As a result, year 2008 showed so far not only promising growth prospects for the Italian presence in the Asian market but also increasing commercial interchanges and investment relations with the Asian countries. South Africa has also developed a series of initiatives aimed not only at encouraging investments but also exports. Among these, the National Industrial Participation Programme (NIPP), whose main target is the foreign company that purchases or makes leasing for at least 6.3 billion euros, and the Export Marketing & Investment Assistance Scheme (EMIA) aiming at supporting SME through subsidies for exports.
Which is the role of the Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad in this context?
In order to raise awareness about these investment opportunities, a primary role can be played by the Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad, whose major strength is certainly the ability to encourage direct networking between operators by ensuring the necessary compliance with local regulations. Thanks to their activities, the Italian Chambers of Commerce of this area promote the growth of investments with those Italian companies which are oriented towards the high content knowledge and high technology sectors that can both benefit from a major governmental support.
2010 FIFA World Cup will take place in South Africa. Are there any investment opportunities for Italian enterprises in this field?
The necessary infrastructural adjustments to cope with this kind of event prompted the government to allocate initially more than 30 billion Euros. Recently a sum of 850 million Euros has been added as a further appropriation for the period 2007-2010. The most involved sectors in this kind of investment are of course those of constructions, infrastructures and tourism. 400,000 visitors are expected from all over the world. Even the transportation sector is in state of great excitement and in this regard the most innovative project is the Gautrain Raillink, a 80 km-long railroad set to link Johannesburg, Sandton (the financial district of Johannesburg), Pretoria and the International Airport in Johannesburg. As a consequence, there is plenty of business opportunities associated with the 2010 FIFA World Football Cup. It is then up to the Italian companies to have the ability to succeed and benefit from this event.
What are the special features that an Italian SME should have to be successful in the South African market?
I have over many years believed that the future of this country is very promising and alive with possibilities. In the past 14 years our economy has been showing positive signs of growth. This was also the notion expressed by the International Monetary Fund. The biggest challenge for companies is the quest to be globally competitive. Many South African companies, particularly those that produce raw materials, do not have the necessary technology and management expertise to perform the task at hand. The technology is outsourced from foreign companies and external consultants are paid huge sums of money to transform and restructure companies. Having highlighted the weaknesses present in the South African working environment and going back to your question, I believe that a focus on technological advancement, turning the workforce into beneficial human capital, putting new management systems and international pedigree in place, and ensuring sustained economic viability, are strategies for boosting competitiveness and success in an increasingly complex global economy.
Can you tell us something about your personal experience as an immigrant?
In 1956 I arrived in South Africa along with my mother at the age of seven. My father had arrived the year before to find a house and a job. Since I did not speak English, my parents put me in a convent and after four years I was sent to public school. During those years South Africa was not very friendly towards immigrants; however, my family, being from Friuli, was able with its tenacity to adapt fully into South African society. After finishing matric, I took Business Economics and at the age of 20 I faced my first and only interview with a large company that dealt with electronic machines in the medical sector. I worked for over 23 years becoming the manager of the group. At the end of 1992, I married a man from Friuli and I took on the administration of his company, which dealt with the installation and the importation of tiles for large contracts. There was an increase in the demand for granite and marble in the building sector and Marble Classic was founded. It has grown exponentially and it is now a holding company. Subsequently, another company, Graniti Technica, was founded in 1998, which has stakes in the extraction of granite in certain quarries in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. In 2001 the new company, Hi-Tek Ceramics, was created, which deals with the importation of tiles which are sold to commercial, industrial and domestic environments.
* Responsible for Promotion and Development of Assocamerestero
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