Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA)

EMIA

Supports continuous reimbursement assistance for South African exporters covering trade missions pavilions and investment recruitment missions.

The Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA) scheme, administered by South Africa's Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), partially reimburses South African exporters and trade associations for qualifying costs incurred in developing export markets or recruiting foreign direct investment into South Africa. EMIA operates on a rolling basis with no fixed application deadline. The scheme covers two broad categories of activity: group components — including national pavilions at international trade fairs, outward selling trade missions, outward investment recruitment missions, and group inward buying or investment missions — and individual components, which include individual exhibition assistance, in-store promotions, primary market research, foreign direct investment research, and inward bound missions for potential buyers or investors.

Eligible applicants include South African-registered for-profit companies and nonprofits (such as trade associations and export councils); universities and research organizations are not eligible. The scheme is sector-agnostic and open to any South African exporter or entity promoting export activity. Individual participation applications must be submitted through the dtic's Online Incentive Solution (OIS) platform, a requirement in place since September 1, 2022; email and hand-delivered applications are no longer accepted. Group components are managed through dtic regional offices in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape. Specific reimbursement amounts per activity category are not published on the EMIA landing page and must be confirmed with regional dtic offices or through the OIS platform.

Applicants should register on the OIS platform before planning export activities, as pre-approval is required for most components — costs incurred before approval are typically not reimbursable. Applications should document the export market development rationale, the specific markets targeted, expected trade or investment outcomes, and qualifying cost estimates. Alignment with the dtic's priority sectors and evidence of export readiness strengthen applications.