'Team SA must collaborate'

South African companies
must learn to hunt in packs
if they want to take on the
world in the oil and gas race
on the continent.
That’s according to
Paul Runge, managing
director of Africa Project
Access, who questions
the advantage that South
African companies hold
other than that they
may understand the
African landscape a little
better than their global
competitors – and are
slightly closer to the action.
“We have never seen project
f lows in Africa at the level
we’re seeing them at present
and the world’s big players
are after the business.
Collaboration is key for
South African companies
and therefore the best
advice is that they must
learn to hunt in packs.”
Runge said while projects
were taking off from east
to west and from north to
south, local business should
be wary of complacency
thinking that because they
understand the African
landscape they have an
advantage.
“If you go to the coal fields
in Tete in Mozambique
right now you would be
forgiven for thinking you
had walked into the United
Nations as there are so
many international players
on the ground. And they are
learning the ropes very fast.
Globalisation means they
are becoming experts on
how to do business in Africa
very quickly.”