The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) is a South African government department that promotes economic development, industrial growth, and competitiveness. the dtic was formed by merging the Economic Development Department and the Department of Trade and Industry. the dtic oversees a number of strategic programmes clustered around the themes of Industrial Development; Trade Export and Investment; Regulation; Broadening Participation and Administration of Professional Standards, Licensing and Accreditation. The Department is also tasked with building trade relations and facilitating broad-based economic participation in a fair regulatory environment