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The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe has arrived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo town of Lubumbashi, for the second leg of the Investment and Trade Initiative (ITI) that started in Kinshasa last week. The ITI is part of the Department of Trade and Industry's Export and Investment Promotion Strategy that focuses on targeted high growth markets with the objective of creating investment and export opportunities for South African companies and promoting South Africa as a trade and investment destination. “We are looking forward to fruitful engagements between the Congolese and the South African government and business leaders during the three days of our stay in Lubumbashi. The first leg of our visit that took place in Kinshasa was a great success if the feedback that we obtained from our businesspeople is anything to go by. The huge number of businesspeople who attended the seminar and exhibition last Thursday showed there is a greater hunger and enthusiasm from the Congolese businesspeople to do business with South African,” said Thabethe, who is accompanied by more than sixty South African businesspeople on the two-legged visit. She added that she was hoping that businesspeople in Lubumbashi, which has been described as the commercial capital of the DRC, would come in their numbers to discuss possible deals and joint ventures with their South African counterparts. Thabethe will be delivering a keynote address at a business seminar that will be hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) at the Grand Karavia Hotel and then open an exhibition where the South African businesspeople will showcase their products and services to the Congolese. The exhibition will be followed by business-to-business meetings. On Wednesday, Thabethe will address a gala dinner where top South African artists, Kwela Tebza and Ringo will entertain guests, before returning home on Thursday.