Your Partner in Fostering Business Relations
between the Netherlands and Southern Africa

SANEC; Southern African Netherlands Chamber of Commerce is the key intermediary agency for companies, organisations and entrepreneurs doing or seeking to do business between the Netherlands, South Africa and the Southern African region.

Mission
SANEC with offices in The Hague, Johannesburg and a support office in Cape Town is a private, non-profit organisation. Our mission is to foster business relations, stimulate and facilitate exports, imports, outsourcing, business tourism and foreign direct investments between South(ern) Africa and the Netherlands, thus accelerating sustainable economic growth.SANEC also aims to promote South Africa as a springboard for Dutch companies into Southern Africa and for the Netherlands to act as a gateway for South(ern) African companies wishing to enter the European Union.

Vision
SANEC’s vision is to fulfill its charter as a “section 21 company” operating on commercial principles, by accelerating the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the regions through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality in order to achieve job creation and skills development.
In order to carry out her mission and to act in accordance with her vision the Southern African Netherlands Chamber of Commerce since her establishment in 1992 strives to offer the best service for building bilateral business relations between Southern Africa and the Netherlands.

For fifteen years, the Chamber has been facilitating the establishment of business links between South Africa and the Netherlands by bringing together potential trade partners through the organisation of trade mission and individual matchmaking visits. But also by hosting networking events, such as Trade & Investment Dinners and Meet & Greet Cocktail Receptions.

In addition SANEC supplies up-to-date trade and investment information on the different countries, through the organisation of seminars, workshops and business forums; by conducting market research and through our different publications.

Furthermore SANEC offers a wide range of services from Intercultural Business Development training to assistance with BBBEE, hiv/aids on the workplace and Export & Investment Incentives issues through our different Special Services and Support Desks. All services are provided with the aim to assist SANEC’s members and business relations with their day-to-day business activities.

In recent years SANEC found that more and more companies and organisations are active not only in South Africa, but also across the borders in Southern Africa. Members and business relations active in these countries repeatedly turned to SANEC for assistance with trade and investments related issues in South Africa’s  neighbouring countries.

In addition SANEC received requests from trade and investment promotion agencies in countries in the SADC region for increased cooperation and joint activities regarding trade and investment from these countries into the Netherlands and the European Union. Therefore SANEC has gradually extended her services and activities to the neighbouring countries in the SADC region.

The current service area includes the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia.

From the afore mentioned you can see that SANEC’s services are broadly oriented however all business development services are also available tailor made to the wishes and needs of our clients. SANEC’s services are roughly divided into six categories, which will be described further next.