The Belgian State Visit, which took place from March 22 to 27, 2023, in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town, included a significant economic component with several business seminars, a forum on energy, B2B meetings, and visits to the sites of Belgian and Walloon companies present in South Africa, representing various success stories in the country.
As part of this royal visit, six Walloon companies with economic activities in the country participated: ECOSTERYL, IBA, UNIVERCELLS, MAGOTTEAUX, SWIFT & AIR BELGIUM.
During the State Visit, representatives of the official delegation visited the following projects:
- Beka Schreder: 100% owned by the Belgian company Schréder, this company is the leading producer of outdoor lighting in South Africa. In addition to public lighting, it also offers sports lighting, tunnel lighting, and mining lighting. The parent company has around forty subsidiaries worldwide.
- Ecosteryl: The Walloon company Ecosteryl has partnered with BCL Medical Waste Management & Ripets to establish an "Ecosteryl Facility," the first decontamination and recycling plant for potentially toxic medical waste in South Africa.
- Magotteaux specializes in the manufacturing of grinding elements and crushers. Its products are used in the mining, cement, aggregates, quarrying, and power plant sectors. They include grinding balls, wear-resistant and heat-resistant cast parts, and are used in process optimization solutions. The company has 15 production units in 12 different countries and employs more than 3,000 people (including 23 people at two sites in South Africa).
- Univercells: The King and Queen visited Afrigen Biologics in Cape Town, in partnership with the Walloon company UNIVERCELLS (Quantum) and the Flemish company eTheRNA, for the production of messenger RNA vaccines. This collaboration between cutting-edge biotechnology companies aims to pave the way for the development of the first locally produced COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in Africa.
Other Walloon companies are undertaking significant projects in South Africa, such as John Cockerill, IBA, Swift, and more.
In parallel with these visits, an academic delegation composed of UCLOUVAIN, UNAMUR, UNIVERSITÉ SAINT-LOUIS - BRUXELLES, ICHEC, and the Academy of Research and Higher Education travelled to the country.