PIERS Supports Mochron Investments' Initiative to Accelerate Trade in Africa

NEWARK, New Jersey, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Mochron Investments, owner of the African Initiative of World Trade Centers (an initiative which consists of the ownership and operation of World Trade Centers in sub-Saharan Africa), is now using global trade intelligence from PIERS, the Standard in Trade Intelligence, to accelerate international trade with Africa.

As part of an initiative to establish an African network of World Trade Centers, Mochron is currently forming business partnerships in 43 sub-Saharan African nations. Countries involved in the initiative are: South Africa, Botswana, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Namibia. With the hub in Cape Town, South Africa, the main purpose of the centers is to stimulate local economies and provide a platform for companies of all sizes to gain access to international markets. Companies serving a diverse range of business sectors are being linked, such as shipping companies, freight forwarders, insurance and finance companies, and hotel groups, as well as Chambers of Commerce and the World Bank.  Mochron's ultimate goal is to increase trade with Africa by 1% within 5 years. This will generate $70 billion, which is three times the amount of aid Africa currently receives from the G8 countries.

PIERS gathers, aggregates, and processes millions of global import and export transaction records annually. To support Mochron's effort, two key trade intelligence solutions from PIERS, PIERS Prospects™ and PIERS StatsPlus™ are being implemented across the centers. Utilizing PIERS Prospects, the centers will gain access to actionable intelligence which connects companies servicing importers and exporters.  PIERS StatsPlus combines international trade statistics with market specific trade information to provide the global picture of a commodity and the companies importing or exporting it.

Gavin Carter, Executive Vice President of PIERS said, "The formation of this partnership between PIERS and the African Initiative of World Trade Centers complements our other ongoing initiatives in emerging markets and partnering with economic development organizations. Over the past year, PIERS has been focusing heavily on understanding new problem domains and developing technology and solutions to help address these. Africa's growing role is at the forefront of these developments, which makes this partnership not only rewarding but exciting as well."

Julius Steyn, CEO of Mochron Investments said, "This collaboration between the strategic partners - PIERS and Mochron Investments, will propel Mochron Investments and the African Initiative of World Trade Centers to new heights and will significantly aid in reaching Mochron's 1% goal for increasing trade with Africa."

Global economists agree that emerging markets such as Africa will continue to serve as significant growth areas in the world economy.

About PIERS 

PIERS is the global import and export information service that provides powerful tools and data for measuring markets, analyzing competition and uncovering opportunities.  Launched more than 35 years ago, PIERS was the first venture in digital global trade intelligence and quickly became the industry standard for accuracy, reliability and insight.  Thousands of subscribers from public and private businesses, trade associations and governments around the world rely on PIERS to guide their global business strategies.  PIERS is a division of UBM Global Trade, and a sister company of The Journal of Commerce.  For more information, visit http://www.PIERS.com, or call +1-973-776-8660 or (toll free) +1-800-952-3839.

About Mochron Investments

Mochron Investments Ltd., based in Cape Town, South Africa at the World Trade Center Cape Town, is invested in Transactional Banking and International Trade Development. Its geographical focus is Sub-Sahara Africa. Mochron houses the fully operational Mochron Office for International Trade that leverages the capabilities of partners in 43 Sub-Saharan African Countries, to function and operate as a unified global force.  Forming business partnerships in these 43 Sub-Saharan African Nations to assist local businesses in establishing an African Network of World Trade Centers, Mochron Investments owns the African Initiative of World Trade Centers (the Sub-Saharan Africa World Trade Centers.) Services include trade promotion, transactional trade services and trade education, import/export management, financial and risk management solutions pertaining to importing and exporting, and trade facilitation.  For more information, visit http://www.wtc.co.za or contact the World Trade Center Cape Town at info@wtc.co.za or by telephone at +27 21 551 7170 / +27 87 944 4072.