President Cyril Ramaphosa will this week undertake a visit to four West African countries to build trade and investment relationships that benefit growth, development and employment in each country.
Ramaphosa will visit the Federal Republic of Nigeria on November 30 for a State Visit at the invitation of His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari.
The State Visit to Nigeria will coincide with the 10th Session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) and will reflect on progress made in advancing trade and investment between the two countries.
The BNC is the highest structured bilateral mechanism between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of South Africa.
Ramaphosa said in a post:
“As part of our economic diplomacy efforts, we are giving renewed attention to promoting trade and investment with countries on our continent. That is why this week I will be undertaking visits to four West African countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal”
Ramaphosa will be accompanied by a delegation of business executives in consumer goods, renewable energy, healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, construction,and the pharmaceutical sector.
“During my visits to Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal over the next week, we will look at how to leverage the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA [African Continental Free Trade Area] to expand the footprint of South African companies into the continent and how we can better support those businesses already operating in other African countries,” he said.
Ramaphosa added that the meeting will also look at how companies from those countries can find trade and investment opportunities in South Africa.
The focus will be on how to support business expansion and job creation in both countries.
Ramaphosa will visit the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire on December 2, 2021, where he will be hosted on a State Visit at the invitation of His Excellency President Alassane Dramane Ouattara.
Ramaphosa will be participating in an Economic Forum with South African and Ivorian business representatives, to discuss opportunities in existing and emerging sectors such as renewable energy.
“In Senegal, we will discuss how to facilitate greater trade and investment between our two countries. Currently, there are South African companies operating in the energy and wildlife tourism sectors among others, and a number of South African companies have expressed interest in entering the infrastructure construction space,” he explained.
Ramaphosa said restoring and rebuilding the country’s respective economies is as important as the fight against the health effects of Covid-19.
“It is our hope that these upcoming visits will not only strengthen fraternal ties with our fellow countries on the continent but that this will translate into new opportunities for South African businesses, new markets for our products and the creation of employment for our people,” he said.