IMC to hold 'India Calling' Conf in Johannesburg

Mumbai, Feb 9: The Indian Merchants' Chamber (IMC) will hold the'India Calling' Conference 2007 at Johannesburg from August 1 to Aug 3.

IMC President Nayan Patel announced the decision at a meetingwhich included a large number of IMC's Managing Committee membersrecently.

The meeting was addressed by Vice-president Niraj Bajaj and GovinReddy, Country Manager (India), International Marketing Council ofSouth Africa (IMC-SA), and Rehaan Ebrahim, South Africa's Vice-Consul(Political) in Mumbai.

He said the conference would not only seek to address the 1.1million Indian diaspora settled in South Africa, but also thosemillions settled in half a dozen neighbouring countries, a release heresaid.

Govin Reddy said the South African government considered India tobe among the few countries in the world with whom its destiny wasorganically linked. ''It was for this reason that his country set upoffice of International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC-SA) inIndia, soon after opening such offices in US and UK. The next officewill be set up in China,'' he said.

He observed, ''It was not for nothing that the President of Chinavisited South Africa twice in the past two months. Unlike any othercountry, South Africa offers a strategic economic opportunity to vastmarket of continental size. The business environment is very hospitableand Indian-friendly.'' Rehaan Ebrahim said, ''South Africa has awell-oiled government machinery, and a businessman can set up a companywithin 48 hours by directly approaching the Directorate of Commerce andIndustry. Over the years, 30 major Indian business groups have set upcompanies there and all are flourishing.''

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