Growing your business means not only offering a product or service to the South African market but also doing the same in other markets. Expanding into other markets means you have to know and adhere to exporting laws and regulations. For most small businesses, exporting not only means more compliance work but also more capital. To address this, the government through the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), has export grants.
Between March 2025 and March 2026, the exports of South Africa have increased by R15,6 billion (9,56%), from R163 billion to R179 billion, while imports increased by ZAR8,3B (5,62%) from R148 billion to R156 billion. The top exports of South Africa were platinum (R26,1 billion), cars (R14,2 billion), gold (R11,4 billion), iron ore (R10,1 billion), and coal, briquettes and similar manufactured solid fuels (R9,9 billion).
These numbers highlight the potential of exporting for businesses. However, SMEs are still making up a small number of businesses exporting outside South Africa, with only an estimated 7,6% of total sales for SME manufacturers.
Local businesses looking to break into the export market can leverage state-sponsored resources like export grants to ensure they have the right capital and support to expand into other markets.
In this article, we look at what export grants are, the different grants offered by the DTIC and what requirements you need to meet to qualify.
What is an Export Grant?
In South Africa, export grants are government-funded financial assistance designed to help local businesses develop international markets, subsidise the costs of global trade missions, and promote foreign direct investment (FDI). The grants are managed by the DTIC.
Benefits of Exporting for SMEs
The benefits of exporting for South African SMEs are numerous:
- Increased Sales and Revenue: Global markets offer a vast pool of potential customers, allowing you to reach far beyond the limitations of the domestic market.
- Economies of Scale: Expanding production to cater to a larger market can lead to cost efficiencies, making your products or services more locally and internationally competitive.
- Brand Recognition and Reputation: Building a successful export presence elevates your brand profile internationally, enhancing your credibility and attracting new customers back home.
- Currency Diversification: Earning revenue in foreign currencies can mitigate the risks associated with fluctuations in the Rand, providing greater financial stability.
- Knowledge Transfer and Innovation: Exposure to new markets, technologies, and business practices can spark innovation and fuel continuous improvement within your SME.
Core Features of SME Grant Funding
Grant funding for SMEs primarily utilises a blended finance model, combining non-repayable grants with low-interest loans or equity. These programs are deeply tied to socio-economic transformation, strictly targeting historically disadvantaged individuals (HDIs) to stimulate job creation and local manufacturing.
Core features include:
- Blended Finance Instruments: Direct non-repayable grants are rare. Most government and development agencies offer a hybrid of grants and soft loans (often with interest rates capped, e.g. at 5%) to ensure the business owner shares the financial commitment.
- Transformation and Equity Requirements: To qualify, most funds mandate that businesses are at least 51% owned by Black South Africans, with active, day-to-day operational involvement by the owners.
- Mandatory Compliance: Businesses must be formally registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), possess valid tax clearance certificates from SARS, and be in good standing with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
- Non-Financial Support: Funding agencies bundle their financial offerings with pre- and post-investment business development, such as mentoring, technical skills training, and assistance with product certifications.
- Sector-Specific Focus: Grants and subsidies prioritise designated sectors, notably agro-processing, digital innovation, manufacturing, and green economy initiatives.
Export Grants for SMEs
The following are grant programmes governed by the DTIC, aimed at enabling SMEs to participate in global markets through exporting.
Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA)
The Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA) programme is designed to partially compensate existing and potential individual exporters for the qualifying costs incurred in respect of activities aimed at developing export markets for South African products and services, and to recruit new foreign direct investment into South Africa.
The EMIA programme comprises the following Individual Participation Incentive Offerings:
- Individual Exhibition Assistance and In-Store Promotion
- EMIA Primary Market Research(PMR) and Foreign Direct Investment Research
- Individual Inward Bound Missions
The EMIA scheme achieves its aim by offering exporters assistance that includes:
- Patent registration, quality and product mark support
- Marketing
- Identifying new export markets through market research
- FDI missions and the research to grow FDI
Who is Eligible?
- South African exporters and manufacturers where products comprise a minimum of 40% local content or value addition, including packaging and raw material
- South African businesses owned by Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (HDIs) or export trading houses that represent 3 or more small, medium, and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs).
- South African commission agents that represent 3 or more HDI-owned businesses or SMMEs.
- South African industry associations, export councils, and joint action groups (JAGs) that represent 5 or more South African businesses
Qualifying Criteria
- Business trading for one or more financial years (for SA pavilions, 2 financial years)
- Business must be registered as a South African legal entity(excluding cases of partnerships or sole proprietorships)
- Applicant must be a registered taxpayer in good standing with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and can produce a tax clearance certificate
- A completed application form submitted to the DTIC 3 to 6 months prior to the start date of the planned event
- Exporters to the South African Customs Union (SACU) countries do not qualify
- Individual participation grant applications are limited to 4 per calendar year
- Only one representative from the business will qualify for assistance (ideally a person with authority to conclude contracts on behalf of the company, e.g. a senior executive
General Qualifying Criteria:
- Export readiness
- Export or production performance
- Export and marketing competence of the individual selected to visit the foreign (export) country
- Availability and accessibility of production and export capacity
- Quality of marketing planning for export
- Type of export product as well as its local market performance
- Complexity of the product (e.g. location, labour absorption, technological requirements)
- Industry in which the business operates
- Complete and timely submission of documentation, as well as meeting the criteria specified for each EMIA scheme offering
How the EMIA Categorises Export Grants and Incentives
The EMIA programme categorises export grants and incentives as follows:
- Individual Participation – Falls under the DTIC Industrial Financing Branch (IFB)
- Group Offerings – Falls under DTIC Trade and Investment South Africa (TISA)
- Sector-Specific Assistance Scheme (SSAS) and Capital Projects Feasibility Programme (CPFP) – Falls under IFB
Growing your business means not only offering a product or service to the South African market but also doing the same in other markets. Expanding… Read More
