High Commissioner to South Africa Yubazlan Yusof said the initiative was part of a wider push to strengthen bilateral trade, which fell to US$0.85 billion from January to August this year, down from US$1.71 billion in 2024.

He said the investment, trade and industry ministry and the foreign ministry were assessing which sectors Malaysian companies could enter, as high US tariffs on some South African goods created opportunities for Malaysian products.

“We want to see which sectors we can enter. We will study the items that South Africa sends to the US, and check if Malaysian firms can move into that space,” Yubazlan told reporters during an online briefing ahead of Anwar’s arrival.

South Africa currently chairs the G20 and is hosting the summit under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”.

Anwar will be attending the G20 summit in his capacity as Asean chair.

Yubazlan also said Anwar might highlight supply chain and trade issues relevant to Southeast Asia and other developing economies during the summit.

He said Malaysia would also raise matters concerning palm oil, halal goods, agro-trade, high tech and renewable energy, furthering talks held during South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit during the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur last month.

Before attending the G20 Summit, Anwar will participate in a business forum that will bring Malaysian firms together with top South African industry players.

“There are potential opportunities in food, metals, tech and halal. We want our companies to see what they can offer,” he said.

Anwar’s South Africa visit is the second leg of a three-country African tour which began on Nov 18 in Ethiopia. He will also visit Kenya.