Situated in the heart of South Africa, the Free State is the country’s third-largest province and borders Lesotho as well as six of the eight other provinces, including the country’s economic centre Gauteng.
Bloemfontein, the province’s capital, is the sixth-largest city in South Africa and conveniently provides easy access to the main ports of East London and Durban, as well as lying just 400km from Gauteng.
With good transport links, the Free State is an ideal trading partner both within South Africa and with international partners. In order to promote a host of new investment opportunities as well as the province itself, the Free State Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) has been established to attract investors to the region.
FIPA is planning not only to attract big South African business to the region, but also to target international investors, increasing the flow of foreign direct investment to the Free State.
To fulfill its mandate of positioning the Free State as an ideal investment destination and successful commercial hub in South Africa, FIPA has identified key sectors that it will target to help drive the local economy:
For more information on investment opportunities in the Free State, contact Lesley Welman at FIPA on: +27 51 410 0885, or by email on lesley@fipa-sa.co.za
More about the Free State
Historically, mining has been and remains the Free State’s biggest employer. With 12 gold mines that produce 30% of the country’s output, the province is the world’s fifth largest gold producer. Other mining products include coal, diamonds and uranium.
Despite its abundant natural mining resources, the region has also concentrated on diversifying its economy into other industries such as manufacturing, which is now the Free State’s second most important sector. Chemicals comprise a large part of the province’s manufacturing activities, given the presence of petrochemical giant SASOL.
Known as the bread basket of South Africa, agriculture is also an important employer in the Free State, with around 90% of the land being used for agricultural production. The province produces about 40% of South Africa’s total maize production and 50% of its wheat.
Culturally, the Free State is also significant for the Vredefort Dome, a world heritage site and the largest and oldest known meteor impact site in the world, estimated to have formed some 2,000 million years ago.
